


Telling Lies? No Mama

by Aishling



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien realizes lies can hurt, Chloe is a queen and she knows it, Gen, Lila exposed, Marinette protection squad, Post-Episode: s03 Caméléon | Chameleon, Protective Alya Césaire, alya is a good friend, class not as stupid or gullible as in canon, ml salt, seriously, their sudden dumbness made no sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-03-17 15:32:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 53,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18968110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aishling/pseuds/Aishling
Summary: Paris isn't that big and everybody talks.Plus a certain little fibber has plastered her lies all over one of the most popular blogs in the city...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this story is basically me rectifying some issues I had with the Chameleon episode. It really didn't sit right with me, be it Adrien's ignorance to Marinette's hurt feelings or the class's out of character turning on Marinette and disregard for her feelings. 
> 
> Seriously, it seemed really OOC to me that they thought Marinette would be okay with being isolated from them all while they all got to sit with friends. You think one of them would have at least WANTED to sit with her considering they all usually really like her. Plus, doesn't Nathaniel usually prefer to sit alone in the back where no one can see him drawing? Why didn't he choose to be the one alone in the back?
> 
> Alya bugged me the most. In canon she is normally obsessed with getting the truth and the facts no matter the circumstances. She takes this dedication to extreme levels, even invading Chloe's privacy to investigate if she was Ladybug. Normally, Alya looks for the answers herself, so her neglecting to look into Lila's stories seems very uncharacteristic of her. 
> 
> And I can figure out why that is. The writers clearly wanted a conflict where Marinette would feel isolated and needed her friends to turn on her in order to create that scenario. But rather than write a valid, in character reason for why they would--like maybe Lila showing them a photoshopped picture with Jagged or an edited video of her and 'Ladybug', anything really that would have made it seem like she had proof--they just went, "Hey let's simply write the characters doing something that makes no sense for them to do, just for the plot contrivance of conflict."
> 
> So here's my fix-it. With believable characters and believable fallout for Little Miss Lie's-a-lot.
> 
> Enjoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forewarning, Lila is NOT going to be looking good in this fic. I know there are some fans of the show who are rooting for her to redeem herself, but you will not find that mindset in this story. And the simple reason for that is this:  
> SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS NOT FORGIVABLE!  
> I’m sorry, but in this era of social awareness, fourteen is old enough to recognize that touching someone without their consent is wrong. No exceptions. Lila is perceptive so there is no way she misses how Adrien freezes up or cringes away when she touches him. Still she persists. That’s harassment, plain and simple and I don’t care if she thinks guys can’t be sexually harassed; in fact that would make it worst, it would make her a sexist asshole who allows toxic masculinity to dictate that men do not need to be asked for consent because they ‘always want it’.  
> Adrien has even told Lila that he will be her friend, JUST friends, only if she is honest and does not hurt those he cares for. He has made his terms clear. If Lila truly cared for him, she would have respected those terms and his wishes. Instead, she continued to lie, to his face and to others in front of him, letting him watch her manipulate two adults in his life and get them in trouble all for her own gain, disregarding his wishes openly. She also kissed him and took a photo of it, both without his consent, and shared it to everyone without his permission. You do not take photos of others in compromising positions and show it to others.  
> When Adrien told her that he couldn’t be her friend if she hurt those he cared for, she formed a secret alliance with his father. She has made it clear from her claims of Nino and Alya being bad influences on him that she intends to use his father’s influence to separate him from his friends. She has shown she intends to isolate Adrien from everyone else so that she is all he has left, which is manipulative, toxic, and abusive; the sort of thing abusive significant others deploy as tactics to keep those they abuse separate from any means of support or escape. To me, that means she doesn’t care one lick for Adrien’s consent, happiness, or overall wellbeing. THAT is not redeemable; that’s sociopathic.  
> So Lila can rot for all I care; girl is not redeemable.

* * *

Greta Rossi was having a rather mundane, but pleasant morning, just the way she liked it.

 

The sun was shining when she woke up that morning, the beams of light coming through her window at precisely no later than six thirty, the very reason Greta chose that bedroom as hers when they moved in. The weather forecast for the day said it would remain shining until light showers in the evening, perfect for the flowers newly planted in the window boxes.

 

Her suit for the day was sitting neatly by her dresser when she woke up, exactly where she left it, and her shoes polished and shined. She set the coffee pot at six forty-five on the dot, her steaming cup of jo brewed and ready for adding to at no later than six forty-eight; one cream, and exactly two sugar cubes. No more, no less.

 

The paper had been where it always was each day, sitting dead center on the mat just as she’d instructed—and lectured—the paperboy to do. Not to the side, not eschew, perfectly horizontal on the middle of the mat.

 

Greta popped two pieces of toast—one from each side of the loaf; always the same amount of slices in from the end pieces—and picked up the butter.

 

She promptly put it back down in disgust.

 

Frowning, Greta picked up the butter dish again, bringing it up to eyelevel with narrowed eyes.

 

There were crumbs in the butter.

 

Great tsked; this only happened when someone forgot to clean their knife of toast crumbs before going back for a second swipe of butter. Clearly, her husband, running late for work again, was in too much of a hurry to remember such a simple piece of decorum.

 

Well she couldn’t have toast now; the butter was ruined and she refused to scrape the crumbs out herself because Gregorio needed to see what he’d done wrong when he got home.

 

She couldn’t have known that it was her daughter who had left crumbs in the butter yesterday, as she had several days this week, uncaring of her mother’s meticulousness and willing to let her father take the blame yet again.

 

Unable to have toast, Greta picked up her briefcase with a scowl. She’d have to leave earlier than usual in order to have ample time to pick up a breakfast and eat it before work. It rankled her; some may consider being early preferable to being tardy, but in Greta’s eyes, neither were acceptable. Impeccable punctuality showed poise and structure; neither early nor late, just right on time. She hated arriving early; it rank of desperation for praise. Punctual people arrived exactly on time because they followed a proper schedule and did not need the pathetic acknowledgment of their superiors for sprinting into work just to arrive a few measly minutes sooner.

 

Heading on her way, Greta considered her options. There were several cafes nearby that offered an adequate assortment of breakfast sandwiches, but they were always too noisy, too over crowded with trendy college kids yapping overpriced, over sugared Frappuccino’s and other high calorie concoctions. Not to mention that those places were all about new and exciting, coming out with culinary abominations of fatty meats and cheeses in unholy combinations with other garbage, sporting ridiculous names like the Queen Bee-L-T or Ladyburger. The messy dishes weren’t optimal breakfast options for those on the go, nor those more health conscious about their waistline.

 

Even if Greta did have time to sit and enjoy a full meal or wasn’t watching her weight, such entrees were too busy and over the top. Greta was a simple, uncomplicated woman—or she would like to think so—and she preferred a nice tame breakfast. Something light and flakey.

 

As she passed by the park, she saw the school across the way. Her daughter would be just leaving home to head to class by now. It was such a humble school—a public school; not the prestigious private academy she’d wanted to send her child to. She’d never understand why that silly girl picked that school of all places, but she’d been very adamant that Dupont was the place for her.

 

The fact that her daughter made this declaration while clutching a fashion mag featuring a blonde teen’s face had entirely escape Greta’s notice.

 

Drawing a blank on where she could possible go to get a quick, suitable breakfast before work, Greta was just pulling out her phone to look up local eateries when a rather enticing scent drifted by.

 

It was a lovely scent, crisp and buttery, light and the tiniest hint of sweet. It made her mouth water.

 

Spying the source of the scent, Greta was surprised to find that there had apparently been a bakery not far from her home this whole time. She wasn’t sure how she’d never noticed, but it was probably due to her eating at home and taking a cab to work. She rarely needed to walk anywhere local, her preferred grocery stores and shopping centers of choice were on the opposite end of town, so she didn’t walk by this way often.

 

Greta wrinkled her nose. Bakeries weren’t really her thing, preferring to avoid sugary confections whenever possible. True, she’d been an infamous chocoholic in her youth and she missed the stuff dearly, but it was important to resist temptation.

 

Surely this quaint, little bakery held nothing but sugar and spice and everything decidedly not nice for her BMI.

 

Still…that smell was heavenly. Her stomach gave a little grumble as if agreeing with her, like a little devil on her shoulder going “Do it! Be bad for once!”

 

…Perhaps they had some low carb croissants.

 

The bell on the door chimed merrily as she walked in, alerting the the patrons and those behind the counter to her arrival.

 

“Be right with you,” called a short, round faced woman in the middle of boxing several macarons for an elderly couple.

 

Greta gave a stiff nod so the woman knew she’d heard her. Standing in line, she took in the other patrons, old and young customers chattering happily to one another or playing with their phones. Some that had already been served lingered as they snacked on their flavorful spoils.

 

Behind the counter, an immensely large and tall man was quickly working his way through serving the more decisive customers, rapidly ringing up and wrapping their edible purchases at a quick efficient pace. The woman whom had greeted Greta seemed to be in charge of patiently helping customers who couldn’t make up their minds.

 

Greta sniffed in distaste, it really was quite crowded in here. Too crowded for her liking. She couldn’t see what made this place such a popular hot spot. It seemed like a quaint, small little bakery, nothing extraordinary about its appearance. Perhaps the food was just that good, but she’d have to see it for herself.

 

She glanced at the writing on the window, taking in the T and S written in stylized font, gold against black. Impatiently tapping her foot while the woman dealt with an indecisive mother with her picky toddler, Greta took out her phone and typed out a quick text that she was on her way to the meeting.

 

She was just about to give up on breakfast and leave when the woman at the counter finally turned her attention to Greta.

 

“Welcome to the Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie,” the woman said with a warm, friendly smile. She had Asian features and dark, black hair, “I’m Sabine. How may I help you today?”

 

Greta approached the counter, her eyes roving the selection of baked goods. Her gaze fell on the croissants, full and golden, just the right amount of light flakiness to curb her appetite but not make her feel overstuffed.

 

Her stomach rumbled again, and she fought down the embarrassed flush that rose to her cheeks as the woman smiled knowingly.

 

“Those looked good,” she commented, pointing at the croissants.

 

Sabine smiled wider, “Fresh out of the oven this morning.”

 

That _did_ sound appealing.

 

“Very well, one croissant if you please,” Greta said, examining the pastries, “The one that’s two in from the left.”

 

Sabine didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by Greta’s request, “Excellent choice.”

 

As the woman went about wrapping Greta’s purchase, the bell chimed behind them, chattering and giggles filled the air, prompting Greta to take a peek behind her. Teenagers; loud and boisterous with their gossip.

 

“I don’t suppose you serve coffee?” Greta ventured, redirecting her focus to the woman in front of her.

 

Sabine smiled, “As a matter of fact, we do? Would you like a cup?”

 

Greta nodded, “A small dark roast, please. One cream, two sugars.”

 

As Sabine went off to prepare her drink, Greta half tuned in to the noisy girls behind her. They were talking in that overdone, hushed toned that called more attention to itself than actual whispering, the sort that excitable, oblivious kids tended to talk in with no regards for how annoying it was.

 

“And then she said,” the first girl trailed off, the end of her statement dissolving into a hiss that only the other girl seemed to decipher.

 

“No way!” the other girl gasped before the two burst into laughter again.

 

Greta rolled her eyes; teenagers. Good thing her daughter wasn’t the obnoxious sort.

 

“I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before,” Sabine said when she returned to the counter, disposable coffee cup in hand, “You aren’t one of our regulars.”

 

“I usually have breakfast at home,” was Greta’s reply, “I only moved to Paris a few months ago and I haven’t had much time in between my job to really explore the city.”

 

Sabrine hummed, ringing up Greta’s purchase, “New to the area, hm? Where are you from?”

 

“Italy,” Greta said, “Though I’ve had to travel a lot for my job. I’m a diplomat.”

 

“Oh, that sounds exciting,” Sabine said enthusiastically. She handed Greta her croissant, before extending her hand, “Well, welcome to Paris. I’m Sabine Cheng.”

 

“Greta,” Greta returned the greeting, shaking Sabine’s hand, “Greta Rossi.”

 

So preoccupied with tucking her pastry into her purse, Greta missed the flicker of recognition in Sabine’s eyes.

 

“Do you by any chance happen to have a daughter?” she asked after a moment.

 

Greta nodded, not noticing the frosty change to Sabine’s tone, “Yes, Lila. Why do you ask?”

 

“I believe our daughters share a class together,” Sabine said shortly.

 

“Oh?” Greta said with disinterest, “They must be friends then, Lila is always telling me how well she gets along with her classmates.”

 

Sabine’s smile was tense, but Greta didn’t seem to pick up on it. She also missed how the chattering behind her died off and then picked up in a series of whispers at the mention of her daughter’s name.

 

“Yes...” Sabine said tersely, handing over Greta’s coffee, “Well, Mrs. Rossi. Have a good da—”

 

“Rossi?”

 

Greta turned around, the two girls in line were staring at her in wide eyes wonderment.

 

The blonde one seemed to be the one who had spoken, her hair in two large, low hanging twintails in blue hair ties.

 

“As in Lila Rossi?” she asked.

 

Greta cocked a brow, “Yes...that’s my daughter...”

 

Both girl’s eyes lit up in excitement.

 

“Daughter?” said the girl with dark blue hair, her brown eyes sparkling in awe, “You’re the mother of _the_ Lila Rossi?!”

 

Both Greta’s eyebrow’s went up at that, “I’m the mother of _a_ Lila Rossi. Do you...know her?”

 

The blonde giggled.

 

“She’s all anyone’s talking about,” she said, pulling out her phone, “See?”

 

Greta looked at the screen and promptly spat out a mouthful of coffee.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we all know where this is heading, don't we?
> 
> Seriously though, Lila is blabbing about her supposed fabulous life on a blog that most of Paris follows at this point (or I assume they do; Alya is usually the very first to get footage of any akuma attacks and alert the public. She's also gotten and interview with Ladybug). Are we really supposed to believe that he mother is NEVER going to come across someone who's seen the blog, hears her last name and makes the connection that she's related to the 'famous' Lila Rossi?! 
> 
> It's already hard enough to believe that Jagged hasn't heard about her supposed saving of a kitten he never owned! You expect me to believe no one will ever confront her mother on what they've heard about Lila?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thanks for the amazing reviews. I'm glad so many people are excited for this story.  
> So here's the next chapter, some little classroom drama.
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

The morning started off like any other for the students of Collège Françoise Dupont. Teens linger in the halls and locker rooms, stalling with friendly banter until they’d have to get to class and return to the monotony of school work.

 

Girls crowded the sinks in the girl’s bathrooms, applying makeup and sharing the latest gossip while boys attempted to fit in some roughhousing before class and bicker about who would win in a fight, The Stay Puff Marshmallow Man or baby August when he’s akumatized into Gigantitan. Overall, it was business as usual for the school full of rowdy, rambunctious teens.

 

Miss Bustier’s class was particularly lively today, eager for the weekend so that they could take a break from classwork and just have fun. Rose suggested a picnic and the others received the idea with unanimous enthusiasm—with the exception of Chloe, who balked at the idea of eating ‘commoner food’ while sitting on the ground.

 

“That sounds wonderful, everyone,” Miss Bustier said, clapping her hands together, “Now, we have a lot of things to cover today, so everyone—”

 

The phone rang, cutting Bustier off.

 

Walking over to her desk, Bustier answered it, “Hello, Caline Bustier’s class.”

 

She paused, a frown coming over her face.

 

“Oh?” she listened to someone on the other end, “A-alright.”

 

Hanging up she turned to the class, “Students, I need to go to the office for a moment. I’ll be back shortly. In the meantime, why don’t you plan out this picnic, okay?”

 

With that she strode quickly from the room, leaving her students to their plans.

 

It was quickly decided that Nino would provide some music, with a short performance by Kitty Section somewhere in there. Rose and Mylene would provide some decorations; nothing fancy, just some nice flowers and some colorful picnic blankets. Max, Nathaniel, and Juleka agreed to help with set up leaving Ivan, Kim, and Alix in charge of carrying the food in, the trio eager to prove their strength on who could carry the most.

 

This left Marinette in charge of food, a given since her parents owned the best bakery in all of Paris. Alya volunteered to help Marinette prepare sandwiches, bring chips, and dip so as not to leave all the food prep to Marinette. Everyone knew full well that if not helped, Marinette would take it upon herself to make all the food and probably overwork herself.

 

Adrien was more than willing to offer his help to Marinette, though as usual baffled by the stuttering response of acceptance she gave him. All he could focus on was the thrill of learning how to bake and possibly even cook! His father never let him fiddle around in the kitchen, considering making oneself a sandwich useless busy work that took away from important matters, like Chinese lesson and piano practice.

 

While everyone—sans Chloe—talked excitedly about the picnic, Marinette stepped into the hallway to call her parents, wanting to give them a heads up that she’d need some assistance in getting pastries ready for the picnic. Her friends had already promised to chip in on paying for the stuff, though Marinette knew the bill would probably be next to nothing given her parents penchant for ‘family and friends’ discounts.

 

“Yes, maman,” Marinette said into the phone, “Yep, the whole class…don’t worry maman, Alya and Adrien are going to help with baking…yes, Adrien…no don’t tell dad! He’ll try to embarrass me!”

 

She laughed, “Okay, maman, he can help us—but no puns! Okay…yep…Love you maman, bye.” She hung up with a smile.

 

“Sounds like this picnic is a go,” Tikki noted, poking out of Marinette’s purse, “Are you excited?”

 

Marinette nodded, “Yeah, it’s going to be great. We haven’t done anything altogether as a class since Heroes Day…things have been pretty tense since…well you know.”

 

“Don’t let her get to you, Marinette,” Tikki encouraged, knowing exactly who her chosen was talking about, “Lila isn’t worth it.”

 

Marinette sighed, “I know, but it’s just been so…frustrating listening to her lead the class on. Everything she says is so farfetched and yet they just eat it up without question.”

 

It was true, ever since Lila returned to school, her stories had become more and more outrageous. She’d rescued a famous singer from drowning in Greece, she’d saved a diplomat from an elephant stampede in Africa, she’d pulled several orphans out of a fire in Cambodia. She even claimed to have saved a litter of kittens from a bear recently. There weren’t even any bears in Paris!

 

What was worse was her classmates gullibility. It didn’t seem to matter how farfetched Lila’s tales were, no one saw any reason to doubt her. So caught up in the awe of such a fascinating life, none of them stopped to question if this supposed life sounded even the least bit unlikely or fictional. Alya was the worst culprit of this. She hadn’t fact checked a single thing Lila said, too engrossed in the views the interviews with the Italian got her on her blog.

 

It was possibly Marinette’s own fault to some degree; without Ladybug confronting Alya about the interviews’ validity, Alya probably took that as evidence Lila’s claims were true. After all, surely Ladybug would have sought her out by now to correct this misinformation if there were any.

 

Marinette wanted to, so very badly. But she couldn’t. It would be a terrible misuse of her Miraculous and she still felt guilty for how immaturely she’d acted when she called Lila out the first time.

 

Adding to Marinette’s troubles was the growing distance between her and some of her classmates. While she had followed Adrien’s advice of not calling Lila out, she hadn’t feigned compliance either. When the others fawned over Lila’s latest alleged escapades, Marinette tuned it out. When they flocked to Lila at lunch to hear of all the people she knew, Marinette quietly ate her lunch and worked on design sketches.

 

She’d not been openly hostile to Lila but the lack of welcome was there and her classmates felt it. It made time spent as a class awkward.

 

Sure, some seemed unaffected by it; Juleka still treated Marinette the same and whatever Juleka did, Rose followed. Nathaniel hardly seemed interested in Lila’s stories to begin with, probably because Lila’s lies rarely had to do with comic artists or painters –unless it was a story about a sculptor using her for a model for his best piece. Her lies focused more on movie stars and singers, those that reached a larger audience and gained her the most attention for name-dropping.

 

Still others like Kim and Mylene looked at Marinette warily or in disappointment. Max clearly disapproved of her lack of welcome to Lila and it was probably encouraged by Lila’s lie that Marinette nearly blinded him with a napkin. Ivan seemed torn between wanting to trust Marinette because of all her encouragement and support to him and Kitty section, and wanting to side with Mylene because he hated making her upset.

 

Alix for her part seemed to be doing her best to stay neutral, but sometimes Marinette caught the sporty girl looking at her in frustration or annoyance, as if she was waiting for Marinette to just get over her paranoia.

 

Marinette supposed she could have just played along and pretended to like Lila, but she couldn’t find it in herself to lie like that when the very issue that started this whole mess was lying.

 

As it was, if Adrien’s hunch was right, Lila would eventually be exposed on her own, through her own negligence in keeping a story straight or just telling a lie too big to be believed. When that happened, Marinette didn’t want her friends angry at her for pretending to trust Lila while they all made fools of themselves believing her.

 

Still, Marinette wondered if Adrien’s advice was right. Sure, he meant well, he always did, but perhaps his judgment was a little too clouded. He was friends with Chloe and he oftentimes failed to see just how negative an affect her actions had on others. He even once fondly remarked that she would ‘never change’ as if it was endearing that she berated and belittled others for her own amusement.

 

It was possible Adrien’s years of homeschooling and isolation made it difficult for him to see when someone was doing harm so long as it wasn’t harming _him_.

 

But Lila was harming others. Alya’s blog meant the world to her; when the truth came out that it was all false, the blog could lose her viewers' trust. Lila had also made pretty big promises to others in their class.

 

She promised Rose an invite to stay at Ali’s palace for the summer, something that was in actuality impossible as the security was so uptight that no one was allowed in. Rose was actually a friend of Ali’s and had yet to receive permission so there was no way Lila could accomplish it when her story was made up to begin with.

 

Lila also promised to get Clara Nightingale to perform at a charity Juleka and Mylene wanted to do for environmentalism; they’d be crushed when the day arrived and Lila spun some tale about why Clara canceled last minute.

 

Then there was the harm Lila was doing to her. Marinette was slowly losing the closeness of her classmates. Even Alya was becoming exasperated that she hadn’t warmed up to Lila. And there was the ever lingering dread that Lila was planning something bigger in her scheme against Marinette, something far more damaging. Her threat in the bathroom rang ominously in Marinette’s ears, a promise of something worse.

 

Maybe she should have told Adrien about the threat…

 

“Cookie for your thoughts?” Tikki offered, drawing Marinette from her thoughts. The kwami held up part of a sugar cookie.

 

Marinette smiled, patting the tiny god affectionately on the head.

 

“Just thinking Tikki,” she replied, “I’m worried Lila’s going to make good on her promise. I know she hasn’t done anything yet, but even just acting all sweet and nice to everyone is putting this gap between me and the others. None of them like that I won’t be friends with her.”

 

“Do you think she’s planning something?” Tikki inquired.

 

Marinette shrugged, “Probably. Right now, it seems like she’s just building everyone’s trust. Acting all kind and innocent, complimenting everyone and acting like she wants to be my friend. It’s pretty obvious that whatever she has planned, she wants enough of the class on her side when she reveals it so they have a hard time not believing her.”

 

Tikki frowned, “You should tell someone what she said to you.”

 

“Who would believe me, Tikki?” Marinette asked, “Everyone’s wrapped around her finger and the one person who knows the truth wants me to just let it go. Would Adrien even care if I told him she threatened me?”

 

“Of course he would,” Tikki assured.

 

Marinette shook her head, “I’m not sure. He saw how everyone turned on me when they rearranged the seats, if there was ever a time to notice her lies were hurting me, then would have been it. He clearly values her not being an akuma more than he values me.”

 

Tikki floated up to Marinette’s head, nuzzling her face, “That can’t be true. Adrien cares about you. He’s just…he’s not the best at confrontation. I don’t think he’s patient with Chloe or puts up with Lila’s lies because he wants to…I think he is just so used to being expected to maintain appearances. I’m sure if he fought with Chloe or upset Lila over their behavior, they’d make a big scene and he’s afraid of his father finding an excuse to pull him from school.”

 

Marinette considered her kwami’s words, “I suppose that true,” she sighed, “I can’t imagine what it must feel like to walk on eggshells as much as he does, all so that he can make his dad happy.”

 

She wrapped her arms around herself, “It must be awful.”

 

“What’s awful?” came a silky voice, prompting Tikki to fly back into Marinette’s purse.

 

Lila strutted down the hall to her, a smirk in place on her smug, tan face.

 

Marinette cursed; that’s right, Lila wasn’t in class yet. She should have known she’d run into the liar while she was alone without witnesses.

 

“Something awful, Marinette?” Lila repeated, “Thinking about how you’ll survive when you no longer have any friends?”

 

“None of your business, Lila,” Marinette said, glaring at the girl.

 

Lila gave a smug smile; Marinette’s anger only seemed to make her happier.

 

“Oh really?” she asked, cocking her hip to the side, “You know, I’d be a lot nicer to me if I were you. You really don’t want me saying anything bad about you to our classmates.”

 

Marinette fought back a growl, “They’d never believe you. My friends know me.”

 

“Do they really?” Lila questioned, examining her nails with disinterest, “Because they seemed quick enough to turn on you when you didn’t want to sit in the back. Or when you threw that little napkin.”

 

“Those were small things,” Marinette defended, “and you were being dramatic. They’d never think the worst of me, not after all we’ve been through.”

 

Lila hummed dismissively, “You think so?”

 

She leaned into Marinette’s personal space, a wicked smile on her face.

 

“We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?”

 

She raised her hand and Marinette closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst. Would Lila hit her and then claim it was self-defense? Or something worse.

 

Surprisingly, Lila did nothing to Marinette. Instead, she grabbed the door handle and opened the door to the class.

 

Marinette blinked.

 

Sending Marinette one last smug look, Lila adopted a façade of kind innocence and strode into the classroom, greeting everyone.

 

“That was…weird,” Marinette said aloud.

 

“Sorry I’m late, everyone,” she heard Lila saying from within the classroom, “I was in a video call with the Achu’s royal advisers about my next trip.”

 

The class oohed and ahhed, prompting Marinette to roll her eyes.

 

Entering the class after Lila, Marinette shook off her nervousness, heading for her seat and resolutely not looking at the liar.

 

“Hey girl,” Alya greeted as Marinette sat down, “Your parents give the okay?”

 

Marinette nodded, “Yup. We’re all set.”

 

“Awesome!” Alya hooted, “Picnic is a go!”

 

The rest of the class cheered.

 

“Picnic?” Lila piped up from her seat by Nathaniel, “What picnic?"

 

Marinette resisted the urge to groan. Now Lila would surely be invited and she’d surely find a way to wreck it.

 

“This Saturday, girl,” Alya informed the Italian, completely oblivious to her friend’s discomfort, “We’re all going to meet in the park for a big get together. There’ll music by Nino and the others, décor by Rose and Mylene, and food and pastries, courtesy of our Marinette here,” she slung an arm over Marinette’s shoulder proudly.

 

“Oh,” Lila said, blinking, “That sounds like fun.”

 

Her voice indicated that she found it anything but fun, yet no one else seemed to notice it.

 

“It’s a shame I can’t make it.”

 

Everyone perked up.

 

“Why not, Lila?” Rose asked kindly.

 

Lila sighed, dramatically putout and forlorn, “I’m supposed to attend a charity with my mother this weekend for the orphanage that burned down in Cambodia. I was requested personally to be there because the kids I rescued want to thank me in person.”

 

“That’s great, Lila,” Max said.

 

Mylene nodded, “Yeah, you deserve it.”

 

Lila nodded, eyes downcast, “Yes, I suppose so…though I didn’t do it for the recognition. I just wanted to help people.”

 

Marinette rolled her eyes while her classmates listened enraptured by Lila’s ‘modesty’.

 

“Still…” Lila went on, looking down at her lap sadly, “As much as I want to see those poor, sweet children again, I can’t help but feel sad that I’m going to miss the picnic. It sounds like so much fun, and I love spending time with you all.”

 

“Moving around so much, I don’t have a lot of time to make friends,” Lila said, twisting the hem of her shirt in her hands, “That’s why it made me so happy when I met all of you. So to know I’m going to miss out on such a wonderful time makes me feel…left out.”

 

She sniffled, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

 

“Hey, don’t be sad dudette,” Nino soothed.

 

“Yeah,” Kim said, “We can always do the picnic another time.”

 

Marinette turned to Kim, “What?”

 

The rest of the class jumped in to voice their agreement.

 

“Yeah, we can always have it on a different day,” Max offered.

 

Rose nodded, “We want you included!”

 

“Really?” Lila asked with a watery smile, “You do all that for me?”

 

“Of course,” Alya replied.

 

Lila’s smile grew, “That’s so sweet of you all. You know, my mother is friends with one of the best chef’s in Paris. If you want I can have him provide the whole menu.”

 

“That would be amazing!” Rose cried.

 

“Five star food?” Kim asked excitedly, “Count me in. I bet I can eat more than you, Alix.”

 

“You’re on!”

 

“W-wait, everyone,” Marinette interjected, “We agreed I would provide the food.”

 

“It’s cool, girl,” Alya said, “It’s just a little change of plans.”

 

“But I just spoke with my parents,” Marinette insisted, “They’re already baking for it.”

 

“Just bring what they make,” Max suggested, “This way you don’t even have to provide sandwiches.”

 

“Yeah but—”

 

Alya lightly touched her arm, “Come on girl, this is important to Lila. It’s tough being the new girl.”

 

“I-I get that,” Marinette said, “But we already had everything lined up and…”

 

“We can have another picnic,” Alya offered with a smile, rubbing her friends arm, “A small one with you, me, and Nino,” she leaned forward with a smirk, “And maybe Adrien if he’s free.”

 

“I’d love to,” Adrien agreed, oblivious to Marinette’s mini freak out when he smiled at her, “You’re parents’ pastries are the best, Marinette. I’ll just need to see when I’m free again and—”

 

“I’m really sorry, everyone,” Lila contritely, staring down at her hands in her lap, “I didn’t mean to inconvenience anyone. I just thought since everyone was helping out in some way, then I should too. I didn’t want to seem ungrateful.”

 

Rose and Mylene instantly rushed to her side, Nathaniel moving out of the way to go sit elsewhere.

 

“You’re not,” Rose said assuredly.

 

Mylene patted her shoulder, “We’d never think that.”

 

“I’m sorry if I overstepped some sort of boundary, Marinette,” Lila said her sincerity only believable to those who didn’t know the truth, “I just wanted to help. Plus, this way you won’t be overworked. I thought I was being helpful.”

 

“I…appreciate the sentiment. Lila,” Marinette said stiffly, trying to keep the annoyance off her face, “But really, I wanted to do this; I wouldn’t have volunteered if I didn’t.”

 

“So you are mad at me,” Lila despaired.

 

“No,” Marinette tried to defend, seeing some of her classmates glaring at her, “I-I’m not really. Just a little…put out…”

 

“Oh,” Lila said sadly, head in her hands, “You really don’t like me, do you?”

 

“That’s not it at all,” Mylene was quick to cut in.

 

“Everyone likes you,” Rose assured.

 

“Marinette, tell her you didn’t mean it that way,” Kim demanded.

 

“I should have known,” Lila quailed, “I mean it should have been obvious to me. You’re so distant, you glare at me when no one is looking…tripping me in the halls. Still, I held out hope that you and I could be friends; everyone speaks so highly of you.”

 

“Wait a minute,” Alix interrupted, “Back up. Did you say Marinette tripped you?”

 

All eyes went to Marinette, who’s own widened in alarm.

 

“I-I…” Marinette flounder, “…I didn’t…”

 

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything,” Lila said meekly, “I should have just grinned and bore it; I don’t want to come between you guys and Marinette.”

 

“Come between us?” Max questioned.

 

“Just what has Marinette been doing?” Mylene asked.

 

Lila worried some of her hair between her fingers, looking for all the world like the saddest girl there ever was, “I didn’t want to say anything but…I keep tripping in the halls whenever Marinette is around. And sometimes I find mean notes in my locker…a-and one time, someone poured a water bottle over the top of the bathroom stall I was in at the end of the day…and the person looked like they had Marinette’s shoes…”

 

That sent everyone into an uproar.

 

“Marinette, how could you!”

 

“That’s terrible!”

 

“You should be ashamed of yourself!”

 

None of them noticed the corners of Lila’s mouth turn up in a subtle smirk as they turned on Marinette.

 

“Now hold up,” Alya intervened, “That doesn’t sound like our Marinette at all.”

 

Adrien nodded, “Yeah, guys. Marinette is the nicest girl any of us know. She’d never do any of that.”

 

“Adrien,” Lila responded in dismay, “Are you actually accusing me of lying?”

 

Adrien blanched, taking in the glares of his classmates.

 

He held up his hands, “I’m not calling anyone that. But I know Marinette and she’s just too nice.”

 

“Maybe you don’t know her as well as you think you do,” Lila countered sadly.

 

“She’s got a point,” Kim said.

 

“Adrien did only meet Marinette this year,” Max added, “he can’t account for her character.”

 

Alya stood up, slamming her hands on her desk, “Hey! Let’s make one thing clear here. Marinette may be a lot of things.”

 

“She’s clumsy,” she began, ticking off her fingers, “She’s flighty; she’s easily distracted and quick to panic. She’s a bit of a spazz and a little goofy sometimes—”

 

“Um, babe, you might want to get to the point here,” Nino cut in, indicating how Marinette was sinking lower into her seat with each word.

 

“Oops,” Alya gave a lopsided smile, “What I was saying is that Marinette is a lot of thing…”

 

She placed her hand on Marinette’s shoulder, “But a bully isn’t one of them. She’s loyal and kind and let’s face it, sort of a doormat when it comes to making us happy.”

 

Marinette cringed, but smiled in gratitude just the same.

 

“So could you really picture her as a bad person?” Alya asked the class.

 

“I couldn’t,” Adrien said encouragingly, hoping the class would follow.

 

Lila wouldn’t be deterred though, “But Alya, why would I say this if it wasn’t true? I _saw_ her.”

 

“Technically you saw someone that you thought looked like her,” Alya pointed out gently, “There could be a ton of explanations for that. Other people were in the hall at the same time, right? So maybe it was one of them. There’s plenty of other students in this school, some we don’t even know. Maybe a student with similar hair or clothes has been picking on Lila because they’re jealous of the attention she’s getting.”

 

The others seemed to consider this.

 

“Makes sense,” Ivan shrugged.

 

Lila hiccupped, her face screwing up in sadness.

 

“I can’t believe this,” she whimpered, “Alya, I trusted you; I honestly thought we were friends.”

 

“We are,” Alya assured.

 

“But here you are calling me a liar!” Lila wailed.

 

Instantly the class descended into chaos.

 

“I never said that!” Alya cried.

 

“Not cool, Alya,” Alix glared.

 

Rose wagged a finger at Alya, “That isn’t very nice.”

 

“That isn’t what I said,” Alya reiterated, “I’m just finding it hard to believe that Marinette would do any of this. Guys, it’s Marinette. Our friend.”

 

“Nino,” she turned to her boyfriend, “Back me up here.”

 

Nino looked around at everyone.

 

“Marinette’s not even mean to Chloe,” he pointed out, “And that girl definitely needs some payback for all the things she pulled.”

 

“Hey!” cried Chloe.

 

Alya pointed at Nino, “See? So there has to be some other explanation.”

 

“Like what?” Kim scoffed, “Someone who looks like Marinette?”

 

“According to my calculations,” Max said, “There’s less than a twenty percent chance of another girl in this school looking so alike to Marinette that Lila would mistake them for the same person. Especially when Marinette makes her own clothes, so looking alike in that area would be unlikely.”

 

“Well…” Alya stalled, “Perhaps it was an akuma. We’ve had ones that mimic people or create illusions before.”

 

‘ _Yeah, both of them Lila,’_ Marinette thought ruefully, _‘Yet no one’s noticed yet that her akumatizations seemed to focus on deception.’_

 

“But Alya,” Lila sniffed, “Wouldn’t you have reported on it yourself if there was an akuma going around for so long unpurified? You’re the best reporter when it comes to Ladybug, you wouldn’t miss a scoop like that.”

 

“Well, I…” Alya stammered, “Uh…”

 

“So it had to be Marinette,” Kim declared.

 

Cries of outrage and scolding rang out in the class.

 

“Guys please,” Adrien pleaded, “Marinette wouldn’t do this!”

 

“Yeah,” Nino added, “None of you are being fair.”

 

Unfortunately, the class was not inclined to listen, especially with Lila crying so heartbrokenly at her ‘mistreatment.’ It seemed everyone’s common sense went out the window once she started crying.

 

Chloe for her part kept quiet, which was surprising, as she normally never missed a chance to pile on Marinette. She sat uncharacteristically silent in her seat, observing the growing contempt in the classroom. Besides her, Sabrina sat nervously rubbing her hands together, casting worried glances between the class and Chloe, waiting for some sort of command from her ‘friend’ perhaps.

 

Chloe’s pursed lips and narrowed eyes spoke clearly of some irritation or displeasure on her part, but still she said nothing.

 

Most surprising of all was that her glare seemed directed not at Marinette, the target of the classroom’s ire, but at Lila.

 

Marinette wondered if this was another ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ situations like with their team up against Kagami at the movie theater—a moment in Marinette’s life that she did not look back on with pride. Perhaps Chloe hated Lila stealing the spotlight more than she hated Marinette.

 

“I can’t believe this,” Alya cried, “Marinette’s been nothing but kind and supportive to all of us. She goes out of her way to make us happy and here you all are turning on her.”

 

“We’re not ‘turning’ on her,” Mylene said meekly.

 

Alya put her hands on her hips, “Oh yeah? Then why are you all acting like she just killed someone’s puppy right in front of you? You’re turning on her.”

 

“That’s cause she’s being a bully,” Kim retorted. Behind him, Rose and Mylene continued to console a distraught Lila.

 

“You know that’s rich coming from you, Kim,” Alya spat.

 

Kim narrowed his eyes, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

Alya scoffed, “Are you kidding me? You act like you’re some stand up guy who fights against bullies, but you were pretty content with picking on people like Ivan at the beginning of the year. Even got him akumatized over it. Sounds like you were a pretty big bully.”

 

“Hey that was just me playing around,” Kim defended.

 

“Didn’t seem like playing to me,” Ivan grumbled.

 

Alya pointed at Ivan triumphantly, “See! He doesn’t think it was harmless fun. It was bullying. You’re a hypocrite because you _were_ a bully. Is that why you had a crush on Chloe? Hm? Thought the two of you could rule us all with an iron fist?”

 

Chloe scoffed, “Hey don’t drag me into this.”

 

“And the rest of you!” Alya glared out at their classmates, “Lila tells you Marinette was bullying her and you all rally to her defense like some protection squad, but how many years did you all let Chloe pick on Marinette?”

 

“Why do you keep bringing me into this?” Chloe asked in exasperation.

 

Some of the class actually managed to look guilty, Juleka and Nathaniel exchanging a shame faced glance while Ivan looked down at his desk.

 

Nino shifted guiltily in his seat.

 

“Guys,” Adrien said weakly, “Why don’t we all calm down.”

 

“Not while they’re making my girl out to be some kind of monster!” Alya snapped at him, staring the model down, “Can’t you see how much it hurts her to know they’d think so badly of her?”

 

Adrien directed his gaze towards Marinette, the blunette avoiding meeting his eyes. He took in the glimmer of tears in her eyes, the way she seemed to curl into herself as the class argued around them, debating whether their Everyday Ladybug was capable of the cruelty Lila was accusing her of.

 

“Marinette…” Adrien trailed off, stunned by how miserable she looked. Had he done this? Had he been wrong to ask her to just…put up with Lila’s lies? Could they actually cause more harm than he realized?

 

“Do you realize she could be suspended for an accusation like this?” Alya asked him, “Or worse expelled. She didn’t even do anything!”

 

“So then you’re saying Lila lied?” Kim asked, glaring fiercely at her.

 

Lila let out a sob, prompting a soothing coo out of Rose.

 

“I never said that,” Alya insisted, “I only meant that she had the wrong person.”

 

“That’s technically calling her a liar” Max pointed out.

 

“No it isn’t!” Alya shot back in annoyance.

 

Lila whimpered, her shoulder’s quaking, “Why don’t you believe me, Alya? I-I thought you were my friend.”

 

As she dissolved into another wave of sobs, the glass turned stony eyes to Alya.

 

“I-I am,” Alya assured, glancing back and forth between her classmates, Marinette, and finally Lila, “But it’s just that...”

 

Marinette looked around her in dismay. The class’s eyes were so hard and judging, turning on Alya in a heartbeat. The more Alya pressed the issue, the more Lila ramped up her dramatics, making the class more and more hostile to Alya.

 

Lila was playing them all like a fiddle and it was clear that now that she realized Alya wasn’t submitting to her lies, then she was going to be treated just as much a threat as Marinette was to Lila’s empire of lies.

 

She thought she wanted Alya to have her back, but things were spiraling out of control. What good was Alya believing her if it came at the cost of Alya losing everyone else and becoming an outcast on her behalf.

 

“Alya,” she pleaded, tugging on her friend’s sleeve, “Please. Just let it go. It’s fine.”

 

Alya shook her off, some of the fire returning to her eyes as she took in Marinette’s tearful expression, “It’s not fine if these jerks want to write you off as some bully for something you didn’t do.”

 

“But Lila said she saw her,” Mylene interjected.

 

Kim nodded, “Yeah, stop calling Lila a liar!”

 

“Again, I didn’t say she’s a liar,” Alya stressed again.

 

“W-well that’s what it’s sounding like, Alya,” Lila sniffled dramatically, “I m-mean I’m only trying to tell you all what happened because I t-trust you.”

 

The class glared harder at Alya, but their resident reporter kept her gaze firmly on Lila.

 

Turned around in his seat, Adrien could practically see the wheels turning in Alya’s head as she stared at the Italian girl.

 

“A-and now you don’t believe me!” Lily wailed, hands in front of her face as she cried, “You keep saying Marinette didn’t do it, but you weren’t there. It certainly sounds like you’re calling me a liar.”

 

Something passed over Alya’s face, an expression trapped somewhere between disbelief and sickening realization.

 

Adrien had the sinking feeling that Alya just realized why Lila covered her face when she cried.

 

So that no one could see that she wasn’t actually crying.

 

"If you’re going to keep making false accusation of my _best friend_ ,” Alya bit out, her eyes going steely, “Then maybe I am!”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's that for a salty cliffhanger?
> 
> I know some of you saw my 'protective Alya' tag and how she'd be portrayed as far as her friendship with Lila versus her friendship with Marinette. 
> 
> Let me say this: I love Miraculous Ladybug salt. I love Chameleon salt. I have been generously pouring it in my tea while reading all the wonderfully salty fics where everyone gets smacked down for being shit in that episode. I love the ones where Alya gets her "A good reporter always checks her sources" line thrown in her face as the hypocrisy it is and I relish the ones where she gets called out on shoving her best friend to the back with no concern for her feelings all to accommodate Lila in order to suck up enough to the girl to get another scoop. Seeing her reduced to this fun to bash villain is deliciously fun. 
> 
> But since I don't consider the actions of the class in Chameleon to be in character with them, I don't think Alya becoming a bitch or siding with Lila is truly in canon to the rest of her character from the show. While I love and adore those fics, I wanted to write one that kept Alya more in character to how she is outside of that mind bogglingly frustrating episode. She's flawed, she's nosy, she's pushy, but she's also loyal and cares about Marinette. 
> 
> So canon-wise, I see Alya as being more skeptical of aspersions against Marinette, even if they came from someone 'trustworthy' like Lila. She's too fierce a personality to NOT get riled up at others mistreating Marinette in front of her, so I see her as immediately going on the defensive on impulse. Then, when realizing the claims came from another 'trusted' friend, she would try to find a logical answer that didn't dismiss one friend's feelings while also proving Marinette's innocence. 
> 
> That's my take on Alya for this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone, glad to see you've returned.
> 
> Big thanks to all you wonderful reviewers. It means a lot to me. 
> 
> So this chapter is going to focus on the class and the reason they're so easily swayed by Lila. 
> 
> And of course, Chloe may have something to say about all this drama...

* * *

" _If you’re going to keep making false accusations of my best friend,” Alya bit out, her eyes going steely, “Then maybe I am!”_

 

That did not go over well.

 

“Alya!” someone cried.

 

“You’re being mean!”

 

Alya pointed at Lila, “Look at her! She’s not even really crying!”

 

Mylene hugged Lila, “She is too!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Alya scoffed, “Why aren’t her eyes wet?”

 

“Alya you need to back off,” Alix demanded.

 

Kim glared at Alya, “Now you’re going to be a bully too?”

 

“Hey, back off, Kim,” Nino said, shooting to his feet, “Alya isn’t a bully and neither is Marinette. This all has to be some sort of misunderstanding.”

 

Chloe snorted, “Yeah…or Lila’s a big fat liar.”

 

That instantly caused an uproar, classmates shouting over one another to tear into Chloe for daring to imply Lila was anything but trustworthy.

 

“Leave her alone Chloe!”

 

“Who do you think you are?”

 

“Why do you always have to be so mean?!”

 

Marinette was truly convinced she was in some alternate reality. Since when did Chloe ever stand up for her?

 

“I’m not lying,” Lila simpered, putting on quite the downtrodden performance, “Why won’t anyone believe me?”

 

The others were quick to come to her aide.

 

Mylene offered Lila a tissue, “We believe you, Lila.”

 

“Yeah, don’t listen to Chloe,” Alix added, “She’s just being a jerk.”

 

Chloe raised a perfectly manicured brow, “Oh, am I? Then you all think Dupain-Cheng is capable of doing something so awful?”

 

“Well…” Alix trailed off, casting an unsure look between Lila and Marinette.

 

Mylene and Rose exchanged hesitant glances.

 

Even Max and Kim looked uncertain.

 

“I mean, it doesn’t really sound like something she would do,” Alix admitted, “Not at all actually.--not that I think you’re lying, Lila,” she added quickly, “But...maybe you...did mistake someone else for her…?”

 

“See,” Chloe said with a proud, knowing smirk, “It’s ridiculous even to you. None of you actually think Mari—Dupain-Cheng would stoop so low, so it’s not like you believe Lila either.”

 

“That’s not—”

 

Chloe cut Mylene off with a glare, “In fact the only reason any of you are so up in arms isn’t because you believe her, but because she whipped out the crocodile tears and played victim. That’s what she wants, too, to get you all defensive.”

 

Alya stood there stunned; it wasn’t like Chloe to defend Marinette, yet here she was openly refuting Lila’s claims and going so far as to ridicule anyone who doubted Marinette’s innocence.

 

Everyone looked guiltily at one another and it was in that moment that Marinette—as well as Alya, Adrien, and Nino—realized that none of their classmates had given much thought to whether they actually believed Lila’s lie, so much as they reacted on impulse to her sob routine.

 

“I don’t believe Marinette did it,” came a quiet voice.

 

Everyone turned to Juleka.

 

The dour girl cringed and shrugged, “She’s too nice to do something like that. And she wouldn’t do something like this and then lie about it either. She hates liars; she even confronted XY’s manager when they stole Kitty Section’s song and image and claimed it was their own. So I’d never believe Marinette was a bully.”

 

“Then why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Alya demanded angrily.

 

Again, Juleka shrugged, “I wanted to, but I saw how everyone got on your case about not believing Lila…so I didn’t say anything.”

 

“Me either,” Nathaniel piped up, “I know Marinette’s too good a person to be a bully, but everyone was getting so hostile about this that I sort of…chickened out…”

 

He looked to Marinette, true remorse in his eyes, “I’m sorry, Marinette. I really should have stood up for you.”

 

“Me too,” Juleka added.

 

Marinette smiled gratefully at the pair.

 

Lila let out a fresh sob, drawing everyone’s attention back to herself.

 

“I c-can’t believe this,” she cried, “I thought I could trust you all…a-and now I find out some of you were only pretending to be my friends!”

 

Juleka and Nathaniel sat up, alarmed. They didn’t like where this new accusation was headed.

 

Rose quickly came to Juleka’s defense, even as she continued to console Lila, “That’s not true, Lila. They’re—”

 

“They think I’m lying!” Lila cried, pointing at shaking finger at Nathaniel and Juleka, “They’ve thought poorly of me all along and yet they acted like they cared.”

 

The rest of the class watched the exchange, conflicted about what side to take.

 

“It’s not like we don’t like you, Lila,” Juleka said worriedly.

 

Nathaniel nodded, “Yeah, you’re really nice. We just don’t see Marinette being as mean as you said she was.”

 

Lila ignored them, whipping up a truly masterful performance of sorrow, “Were they just acting like my friends to get close to the people I know? Were they just using me to meet Prince Ali? Or Jagged?”

 

“Oh please,” Chloe scoffed, taking back the reigns to the conversation, “As if you actually know Jagged Stone.”

 

Lila gave Chloe a heartbroken look, “Of course I do! We’re very close.”

 

Chloe snorted, “Have you forgotten just whose hotel he lives in? I’ve met Jagged plenty of times. Sure he wouldn’t call me a friend, but I’ve known him long enough to know he’s _never_ owned a cat. So how did you rescue a pet that didn’t exist?”

 

“He did own one,” Lila insisted.

 

“Oh yeah,” Chloe challenged, “What was it’s name? Michael-McDoesn’t Exist?”

 

Lila’s brow ticked in annoyance, but she quickly smoothed her features, “No, it was…Filou. A tiny sweet little tabby.”

 

“A tabby?” Chloe asked imperiously, “first time you told the story it was a Calico.”

 

Lila faltered, but covered it up with a series of hiccups and sniffles, “That’s what I meant; I get those two mixed up sometimes. W-we have different names for the breeds in Italian. He was a little calico.”

 

Chloe’s mocking sneer only got larger, “It was a he? Calicos are all females.”

 

Lila’s eyes grew wide.

 

“How do you even know that?” Nino asked, completely flummoxed.

 

“My mom spent a year trying to find a single male calico,” Chloe explained with a flippant wave of her hand, “It would make her the owner of the rarest cat. But, as numerous professional breeders told her, it’s theoretically impossible. And even if Jagged did somehow manage to own the world’s only male calico, I doubt it would have gone unnoticed by the media. Not only that, but if he loved this supposed kitten so much, I doubt he’d let something like allergies get in the way of him keeping it.”

 

“Which brings me to my next point,” Chloe went on, her eyes boring holes into Lila, “You claimed to have saved Jagged’s alleged cat at the cost of your own safety and health, obtaining a permanent injury from it as well. Why hasn’t that been in a single article about Jagged? Or better yet, his numerous biographies?”

 

“Well, it happened fairly recently,” Lila stated, “Within the past year or so.”

 

“Jagged released a new biography three months ago,” Alya pointed out, watching Lila through narrowed eyes.

 

Chloe nodded at Alya, before turning back to smirk at Lila, “That’s right, and I’m afraid there was no mention of any such incident…or Jagged ever owning a kitten at all.”

 

“W-well that’s because—”

 

“And let’s not forget this ‘song’ he wrote about you,” Chloe continued, “Which doesn’t seem to exist anywhere, by the way. Why can’t anyone find it, Lila?”

 

“Well that’s easy,” Lila said, a bit more confidently finally seeing a story she could work with, “Jagged never released it; it’s too precious to him.”

 

Chloe smirked, “So he honored your heroic act by writing a song that never saw the light of day. What lukewarm sentiments.”

 

“He did write me a song,” Lila insisted, “He just doesn’t want to share it with the public.”

 

“Then why would you tell anyone about it at all?” Chloe questioned, “Especially when I doubt it would be good PR for him to have you telling bloggers and reporters that a middle aged rock star wrote a song either for or about a _minor_.”

 

Lila grit her teeth, “Of course it would sound bad if you word it that way.”

 

“Let’s look at some other stories of yours,” Chloe pushed on relentlessly, “You stayed at Prince Ali’s palace? You’re his close personal friend? Please. You are aware that Rose knows him personally, right? I wonder what would happen if she wrote to him asking about you. Or maybe video called him.”

 

Her eyes fell on Rose, who cast a hesitant look at her phone.

 

“T-there’s no need to bother him,” Lila said hastily, “He’s very busy.”

 

“Yes, working on his various charities,” Chloe said, “For _children_ ; not this whole pollution story you cooked up.”

 

“He can support more than one type of charity!” Lila defended.

 

“And then there’s your most heinous story of all,” Chloe plowed on like she hadn’t heard Lila, “Claiming you’re best friends with Ladybug.”

 

“I am!” Lila exclaimed.

 

Chloe barked out a laugh, “Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.”

 

Marinette noticed Alya subtly glanced down at her phone, a grimace on her face. Her thumb swiped over the screen, the homepage of the Ladyblog popping up.

 

‘ _I’m sorry, Alya,’_ Marinette thought sadly, _‘If only I’d managed to convince you before you posted those interviews of Lila.’_

 

“Do you have any proof that I’m lying?” Lila asked. Very few noticed the hard edge coming to her voice, “Did someone tell you that Ladybug and I aren’t friends or something?”

 

Lila was most likely considering Chloe’s role as Queen Bee. She probably wondered if Chloe had taken the opportunity during one of the times Ladybug called on her to ask about Lila.

 

Marinette slumped down in her chair, already able to picture just what sort of excuse Lila would cook up if Chloe claimed her proof came straight from the source.

 

‘ _She’ll say that her and Ladybug had a fight,’_ she thought glumly, _‘Make a big show of playing the victim, crying that her ‘best friend’ hurt her feelings. She’ll make everyone think Ladybug was_ _unfair and mean to_ _her.’_

 

Chloe crossed her arms, “If you mean did Ladybug tell me that, then no.”

 

“Then who—” Lila’s eyes flickered over to Adrien.

 

Chloe seemed to catch that, her gaze flitting to Adrien momentarily in suspicion.

 

Adrien sunk down in his chair.

 

“No one told me,” Chloe informed Lila, recapturing the girl’s attention, “But I don’t need to hear anything from anyone to know you’re definitely not Ladybug’s best friend.”

 

“Oh and I suppose you are?” Alix snorted. They all knew Ladybug was Chloe’s idol.

 

“No!” Chloe said, perhaps a tad too quickly—which was odd; normally she’d jump at the chance to brag about how much Ladybug ‘adored’ her. Admittedly though her hero worship of the spotted heroine seemed to have tapered off since the whole Miraculer incident and the retirement of her role as Queen Bee. Still, it was strange to see her miss an opportunity to gloat about knowing someone famous, “But I don’t need to be to know Lila’s the last person she’d be friends with.”

 

“Oh?” Lila’s eyes flashed dangerously, all pretenses lost, “And why is that?”

 

“Because Ladybug would never be friends with someone who uses her!” Chloe burst out.

 

That seemed to stun everyone. Even Lila looked shocked.

 

“Think about it,” Chloe said, looking at each of her classmates in turn, “All Lila’s done since she got here is brag about how close her and Ladybug are. What has it gotten her? Attention, special treatment, your respect,” she ground out the last part, “But what proof has she provided for any of it? None!”

 

Chloe glared at Lila, “Lila uses Ladybug to make herself popular. A real friend wouldn’t do that to her; not after all she’d done for this city. Just like a friend to all these celebrities and artist and singers wouldn’t abuse their friendship by promising they’ll do favors for a bunch of kids they don’t even know. What’s that subreddit online? The one where artists talk about the poser friends in their lives who ask for free stuff ‘because they’re friends’. That’s what Lila sounds like.”

 

Chloe jabbed a finger at Lila, “If she was really friends with any of them I doubt she’d be expecting them to do anything for any of you just because she told them to. So I find it hard to believe that Ladybug would ever befriend a pathetic attention seeker who’s done nothing but try to ride her coattails!”

 

“How dare you!” Lila seethed.

 

“ _ **Did I say you could talk?!”**_ Chloe snapped, silencing the girl.

 

“I’ve haven’t been the nicest to Marinette,” Chloe said to her classmates, “I won’t deny that. We don’t get along and I’m not going to pretend we do. But at least I haven’t tried to turn everyone against her. I certainly never tried to pit her and her friends against each other. Have you ever seen me try and break up her and Cesaire’s friendship?”

 

The class shifted uneasily under Chloe’s harsh gaze.

 

“Well, you did try to blackmail her with her diary,” Max pointed out eventually.

 

Chloe huffed, “Yeah, and I got told off for what an awful thing that was. The point is I’ve tried to ruin Marinette’s day, maybe even her week, but not her _life_. But her,” she gestured at Lila, “She comes in and starts spouting some fairytales about celebrities and charity work and you’re all ready to throw Marinette to the wolves at the snap of Lie-la’s fingers.”

 

“I don’t know what your problem is with me, Chloe,” Lila snapped, arms folded over her chest, “Maybe you’re jealous of me because I’ve lived such an interesting life—”

 

“If by interesting you mean fictional,” Chloe quipped dryly.

 

“—Or if you’re jealous of how close I am to Adrien,” Lila went on, “I mean, that’s why Marinette is being so mean to me.”

 

“Wait, why would Marinette be jealous?” Adrien asked.

 

“Not the time, Agreste,” Alya growled before turning her glare to Lila, “You know, the more you say that, the less I believe you.”

 

“Of course you would,” Lila shot back, “You’re best friends; you’ll side with her no matter what she does to me.”

 

“Except she hasn’t done anything to you,” Alya said, “Has she?”

 

Lila glared, but managed to give off a wounded look; like she was genuinely hurt that Alya didn’t trust her, “There you go again calling me a liar. I don’t understand what I did to make you hate me so much, Alya. Maybe you did from the start simply because of Marinette.”

 

“Tell me none of you are buying this act,” Chloe said in exasperation.

 

“But I’d be willing to forgive you,” Lila declared, affecting a hopeful, yet hurt look, “It’s not your fault that Marinette has manipulated you. It’s clear none of you were aware of the person she really is,” she sent a pitying glance around the room at her classmates.

 

The class seemed torn, many of them not sure who to believe.

 

“I’ve been nothing but nice to you all,” Lila went on, “I honestly want to be friends with all of you. Can any of you say you’ve seen me do a single mean thing since I returned?”

 

A muttering went up among the class, many nodding their heads. Lila had been awful sweet to them, complimenting their abilities, providing a listening ear.

 

Marinette looked around at her friends with a growing sense of hopelessness. Of course they wouldn’t see Lila as mean; they had Chloe’s blunt insults and jeers to hold up as an example of what mean was. They didn’t know how to recognize deviousness or false smiles.

 

Alya’s eyes turned into narrow slits, “If you think I’m going to abandon my best friend because you want to pull the gracious act—”

 

“Or maybe none of us knew who you really were either, Alya,” Lila butted in simply, “I really liked you. I thought you were a good person,”

 

“She is a good person,” Nino defended, now glaring at Lila as well.

 

“—but if you’re going to stand up for my bully—”

 

“Marinette has never bullied you,” Adrien said suddenly, standing up from his seat.

 

Lila’s eyes widened then narrowed.

 

“Adrien,” she smiled sweetly, an underlying warning to her tone, “This really doesn’t concern you.”

 

“It does when you try to hurt my friends,” Adrien proclaimed, “Marinette has never bullied you and I won’t sit here and let you lie about her like this.”

 

Lila seethed, but managed to barely keep a neutral expression, “How would you know, huh? Did Marinette tell you? You do realize she’s just trying to drive a wedge between us? She’s jealous; always has been. So desperate to get your attention—”

 

“I don’t care what story you try to come up with,” Adrien said firmly. He got out of his seat and came up to Marinette, placing a hand on her shoulder, making the girl squeak, “There’s nothing to be jealous of, because you and I aren’t anything, Lila. Not even friends if you’re going to act like this.”

 

Lila was caught between fury and shock, “But…”

 

“Lila has been lying all along,” Adrien declared loudly, “Her first day here she tried to win me over by claiming she owned the fox Miraculous.”

 

“What?!” Alya shouted in rage.

 

“You mean the miraculous Rena Rouge has?” Juleka asked.

 

Chloe threw her head back and laughed, “As if Lila has a Miraculous.”

 

Adrien nodded, “She even bought a necklace to fool me…but then Ladybug showed up and called her out on her lies. Them being friends, her having the fox miraculous, all of it.”

 

“You mean Marinette was right?” Mylene asked.

 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Alya demanded.

 

Adrien looked down in shame, “She got akumatized when Ladybug called her out. And she was again when she returned to school and I asked her to stop lying; she was Chameleon. I thought outing her wasn’t going to do any good if she only got mad every time someone did it. So I asked Marinette not to confront her.”

 

He looked at his class with contrition, “I didn’t think she would go this far; sooner or later I expected her to accidentally out herself with some contradiction. I thought her lies weren’t going to hurt anyone.”

 

“Dude,” Nino said scoldingly, “Alya posted lies on her blog.”

 

“Never mind my blog,” Alya said angrily, “She lied about Marinette!”

 

Adrien had the good grace to look ashamed, “You’re right. I was wrong…I never meant for Marinette to get hurt like this.”

 

He squeezed Marinette’s shoulder, looking her in the eyes.

 

“I am so sorry, Marinette. I’d never want anything bad to happen to you.”

 

“A-Adrien,” Marinette stammered, “I…”

 

“Yeah, you better be sorry!” Alya hovered over her friend protectively, blocking Adrien with her body, “You told her to sit back and play passive, when all she wanted was to protect us from Lila’s bullshit."

 

She turned to Marinette, “Girl, I’m so sorry! I should have listened to you. I just...I got so caught up in her stories and all the things she said she could do for me. A-and she said she knew Ladybug! You know how crazy I get when it comes to Ladybug. I never meant to leave you in the lurch. Can you ever forgive me?”

 

Marinette smiled at Alya, “Alya, you were ready to fight the whole class for me just now. Of course I forgive you.”

 

Tears welling in her eyes, Alya threw herself at Marinette, wrapping her friend up in a tight hug.

 

“So all this time Lila’s been lying?” Rose asked, mystified.

 

“Well it sounds that way,” Alix said with an uncertain shrug, “But Lila’s right, none of us saw anything one way or another. Does Adrien have any proof Ladybug confronted her besides his own word?”

 

Chloe turned dagger eyes on Alix, “Oh so it’s wrong to accuse Miss Italy of lying when you barely know her, but it’s totally plausible that my Adrikins lied?”

 

Alix raised her hands, “Hey, I never said that.”

 

“Well to be fair, no one has provided any proof that Lila’s lying,” Max explained trying to stay diplomatic.

 

“And Lila hasn’t provided any proof that she’s telling the truth,” Alya and Chloe shot back simultaneously.

 

“Everyone please,” Lila called out, “I can explain everything.”

 

Chloe raised a brow, “This ought to be good.”

 

Coming down from her seat to stand near the front, Lila clasped her hands together, a forlorn and contrite expression on her face, “It’s true that Ladybug did confront me that day.”

 

Adrien shot Marinette a surprised glance, which she mirrored. Was Lila actually going to tell the truth?

 

“But not because I’m a liar,” Lila said.

 

Guess not.

 

“Ladybug was mad I was spending time with Adrien and lashed out at me,” Lila stated. She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes, “Honestly it hurt terribly that she would do something like that. I’m her best friend and she treated me so badly over a boy. I couldn’t believe she’d do something like that.”

 

Marinette bit back a sigh; like she predicted Lila would seize the opportunity to get back at Ladybug by painting her in a bad light.

 

“Utterly ridiculous,” Chloe said, “As if Ladybug would ever be jealous of you.”

 

“Would that really be so hard to believe though?” Max questioned, “Ladybug is only human…I think, and everyone is susceptible to jealousy.”

 

“And she wouldn’t be the only girl to have a crush on Adrien in this city,” Alix said.

 

Kim nodded, “Yeah and Lila has done pretty amazing things.”

 

Chloe narrowed her eyes, “She only _says_ she does amazing things.”

 

“What do you think of all this?” Mylene leaned over to whisper to Ivan.

 

Ivan shrugged, “I’m not sure what to think.”

 

“As for the Fox Miraculous,” Lila went on. She sighed, “I guess I have no choice since Adrien so unfairly outed me. The truth is I am Rena Rouge.”

 

“That’s a lie!” Alya blurted out.

 

Marinette watched Nino grit his teeth and glare at Lila.

 

Lila gazed despairingly at Alya, “It’s true, Alya. Ladybug gave me the miraculous herself so that I could help her defend Paris. She knew I could be trusted because I’ve study Martial arts with so many masters.”

 

More whispering broke out across the class. Some looked at Lila in awe, other’s confusion, suspicion.

 

Alya looked like she was ready to leap over her desk and claw Lila’s eyes out.

 

Adrien’s frown at Lila morphed into a glare, “Ladybug gave it to you? Because your story at the park was that it was passed down through generations of your family.”

 

“T-that’s because I didn’t know if I could fully trust you yet,” Lila said quickly, “I didn’t think it wise to reveal that Ladybug chooses who wields a miraculous, because I didn’t want Hawkmoth getting that information.”

 

“If you’re so worried about Hawkmoth, why would you do so many interviews about being so close to Ladybug?” Chloe challenged.

 

“Um, well that’s because...w-well her friendship means to much to mean,” Lila floundered, “Can anyone blame me for wanting to talk about how incredible my best friend is?”

 

Adrien folded his arms across his chest, “For someone who talks to everyone here about how close you and Ladybug are, you had no trouble talking down about her when we met. If I recall, you claimed yourself a better superhero than her. She ‘doesn’t even make the top ten,’ I believe you said.”

 

“What?” Chloe exclaimed, “Excusez-Moi? No one is better than Ladybug!”

 

“Why would you say something so mean about a friend?” Rose asked in dismay.

 

Lila looked around her in a panic, “W-well that’s because…I…”

 

“If Ladybug did confront her, it would make sense now,” Nathaniel mused, “I’d be pretty miffed if someone was calling me a bad superhero.”

 

“That’s not what I did—”

 

“And how can you be Rena Rouge when you were in Achu the first few times she appeared,” Alya countered, hands on her hips, “Marinette brought up a few weeks ago that she thought she saw you as Volpina on Heroes Day and you made it pretty clear that it was supposedly impossible because you were in Achu, not Paris. So either you are lying about Rena Rogue or lying about Achu.”

 

“I can teleport with the Fox Miraculous!” Lila tried to claim, “That’s how I got here when Ladybug needed me.”

 

“If you’re so powerful though,” Nino jumped in, fire in his eyes, “Why doesn’t Ladybug call on you more? Moreover, why would you be traveling the world so often when there’s a terrorist like Hawkmoth here threatening Paris on a nearly daily basis?”

 

“Why are you all being so mean to me?” Lila asked woefully, not ready to give up her hurt puppy act so soon. A hint of frustration was bleeding through her voice, though, “I am Rena Rouge and Ladybug really was jealous that Adrien was falling for me. She’s terribly insecure.”

 

“Lila, I never liked you that way,” Adrien stated, unimpressed.

 

Lila’s tearful act dropped, an ugly scowl crossing over her face for half a second before being replaced by a cool front.

 

“Adrien, how could you say that?” she asked, hand over her heart dramatically, “We’ve gotten so close over the past month. Surely you’d agree we’re more than simple friends.”

 

Adrien wasn’t budging.

 

“Hang on,” Nino butted in, “Why are you so interested in Adrien ‘falling for you’ anyway. You told me you weren’t interested in him at all.”

 

“Ha!” Alya cried, “There’s a lie right there!”

 

Lila glared at Nino, “I only said that because I knew how much Marinette meant to you all,” she affected as hurt look again, “I wanted to be friends with all of you and I was worried you’d hate me out of principal if I liked Adrien as much as she did.”

 

Marinette sent a panicked look Adrien’s way, but the boy seemed to not believe Lila’s words thankfully.

 

He stood there with his arms crossed, “Lila, I’m only going to ask you one last time to stop lying.”

 

“I’m not a liar!” Lila said, stamping her foot, “Ladybug made up everything to spite me, Adrien, who would you believe: your friend or a superhero who you don’t really know?”

 

Adrien continued to stared down at Lila, unmoved, “I think I know her well enough.”

 

Marinette frowned; what did he mean by that?

 

Seeing him as a lost cause, Lila turned her focus back to rewinning the rest of the class.

 

“This is all because of Chloe,” she declared, pointing at the blonde, “She hates me because I’m friends with you all, just like Marinette does, so she’s trying to ruin my reputation. Do you all honestly trust the word of Chloe over me? She’s hardly trustworthy.”

 

“More trustworthy than you,” Chloe quipped.

 

“See!” Lila said, “She’s picking on me and I never did anything to her. You all believe me don’t you?”

 

Everyone shifted awkwardly.

 

“…I-I mean I’d like to…” Mylene began.

 

“But with everything that’s being said here…” Ivan finished.

 

Max shrugged, “There’s a sixty-five percent chance Lila’s lying. I mean…Chloe and Marinette do personally know Jagged Stone…and Adrien isn’t exactly the lying type. Plus we never did get an explanation for why you were akumatized the first time anyway, so it’s Adrien’s word against yours.”

 

“Not to mention only an idiot would believe they could lose an eye to a balled up napkin when they wear _glasses_!” Chloe said with a scowl.

 

Max winced.

 

Lila looked around her in disbelief.

 

“Y-you can’t honestly trust them over me,” she cried, “I’ve been so nice to you…I-I was going to introduce you to all these people. Singers, actors, famous artists. I was even going to ask Jagged Stone to sing at Mylene’s birthday next week.”

 

Several people’s eyes lit up; hard pressed to ignore the allure of meeting a famous rock star.

 

Lila gestured to Chloe, “Chloe is a bully and has been for years; you’ve all said so.”

 

“That’s true,” Kim nodded,

 

“She’s a grade A pain,” Alix added.

 

“Hey!” Chloe exclaimed in outrage.

 

“And Adrien is her best friend,” Lila continued, “Clearly he’s not as nice as everyone thought if he likes hanging out with her.”

 

Chloe slammed her hands on her desk, “Adrikins is the nicest, most sweetest boy around!”

 

“I-I mean...” Lila sniffled, suddenly meek, “He said such...such sweet things to me. You saw how close we were in class, right? H-he led me on, probably to use me to further his career...I know so many fashion designers, after all. But now that Chloe’s badmouthing me, he’s throwing me away and pretending that he didn’t play with my heart...I-I feel so used!”

 

“That’s not true!” Marinette cried, jumping to her feet, “Adrien doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and he’d never take advantage of anyone.”

 

“Marinette, I know you refuse to see the truth because you’re _obsessed_ with--”

 

“If anything, you’ve been taking advantage of him,” Marinette cut Lila off, “He’s clearly uncomfortable with you hanging all over him without permission, but you play on how he’s too nice to call you out to get away with it!”

 

“I do not!” Lila said, feigning shock and horror.

 

Marinette would not back down; not after everything that’s happened, “He doesn’t like you touching him.”

 

“I certainly don’t hear him complaining,” Lila shot back.

 

Chloe let out a short laugh, “Please, have you seen how he cringes when you touch him?”

 

Nino looked at Adrien, “Does it really bother you, dude?”

 

Adrien grimaced, shrugging, “...yeah...I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but I’m not really used to someone getting so...close like that.”

 

“But you let Chloe do it,’ Nino pointed out with a confused frown.

 

“Because it’s Chloe,” Adrien elaborated, “She was my first friend. Only friend for a long time too. We’ve known each other for years.”

 

He glanced at Lila, “I had only just met Lila when she started trying to hold my hand and touch my chest and everything.”

 

Several people looked disapprovingly at Lila.

 

“Pretty sure that’s harassment,” Nathaniel said.

 

Kim tilted his head, “But he’s a guy.”

 

Alix punched him in the arm, “Seriously? Since when does being a guy mean it’s an open invitation to grope them?”

 

Kim rubbed his arm with a pout, “Geeze, I’m sorry okay? I just don’t get what the big deal is.”

 

“That’s because the only girls touching you are girls you like or are friends with,” Juleka stated quietly, “It’s different when it’s someone you don’t know or like and they won’t take the hint. Luka’s told me about girls he’s met who think flirting means they can touch his hair or cling to him without asking. Someone invading your personal space isn’t flattering; it’s creepy.”

 

Nino couldn’t look more disappointed in himself, “I didn’t even notice...shit, I’m a bad friend.”

 

Adrien placed a hand on Nino’s shoulder, “You didn’t realize it made me uncomfortable, it’s not your fault.”

 

Marinette pointed at Adrien, “See? You’ve been making him uncomfortable. But you already knew that, didn’t you? You just didn’t care.”

 

“I can’t believe you’d accuse me of-of sexually harassing someone!” Lila cried, aghast, before turning to the class, “You guys, I had no idea I was crossing any lines, honest! Things are different in Italy. We’re very familiar with one another.”

 

“Don’t pretend this is some misunderstanding,” Marinette bit out angrily, gripping her desk so hard her knuckles were turning white. She could feel a comforting pat against her hip from Tikki in her purse, “You just tried to claim that Adrien was deliberately leading you on. Stop changing your story.”

 

“As if you have any room to talk,” Lila shot back, “You’re basically a stalker; and the whole class knows it.”

 

Marinette flushed crimson, but she wouldn’t be cowed, “At least I don’t touch people without consent!”

 

She pointed at Marinette, “See? She’s attacking my character. Marinette isn’t what she seems to be. She’s mean to me, a-and she threatened me in the bathroom when I first came back—”

 

“No I didn’t!” Marinette cried just as Alya yelled out, “She’d never do that!”

 

Mylene frowned, “That really doesn’t sound like Marinette.”

 

When all else failed, Lila never shied away from breaking out the water works.

 

“She’s bullying me,” Lila wailed, pointing a shaking finger at the blunette, “and now she’s turned Alya and Nino against me.”

 

“Marinette didn’t turn me against you,” Alya glowered, “You did that when you expected me to believe the nicest girl in school was bullying you.”

 

Alya held her hands out to their classmates, “Come on, guys, how many times has Marinette been there for us? She’s always done her best to come through when we need her.”

 

A few of them nodded, mumblings of assent coming up from the crowd.

 

“But that doesn’t mean she isn’t capable of being petty,” Kim argued, “We all know how…single minded she can get when it comes to…you know,” his eyes flickered to Adrien briefly.

 

People nodded along to Kim’s words as well; Marinette was known to get a little crazy about Adrien.

 

“What’s everyone talking about?” Adrien questioned, “When it comes to what?”

 

Nino shook his head, “Not now, dude.”

 

Marinette let out a breath, thank goodness Adrien was such an oblivious sunshine child.

 

“She did push me out of the Mecha Strike tournament,” Max offered up, “Because of…those reasons.”

 

Marinette sunk into her chair; that might have been a teeny bit mean of her. Sure she was ultimately better than Max, but it wasn’t like competing had been her dream like it was for Max. She’d done it only to get close to Adrien.

 

“Yeah, and like a sexist prick, you became an akuma to get revenge on her,” Alya snapped, “I doubt if Adrien or Nino had beaten you out of a spot in that tournament that you’d be so mad about it.”

 

“Well I…” Max cringed away from the suspicious glare Alix sent him, knowing the competitive girl took great issue with sexism in competitions, “That’s not the _only_ reason I was mad…”

 

“Still,” Kim tacked on, “Marinette’s not perfect. She encouraged me to confess my feelings to Chloe.”

 

“Dude,” Nino said, “She didn’t know you were crushing on Chloe of all people.”

 

Chloe narrowed her eyes at Nino, “Watch it, loser.”

 

While the class debated, Lila sent a nasty little smirk Marinette’s way.

 

“This is terrible,” Lila sniffed, wiping her eyes, “I’ve never been more hurt. All I wanted was to make friends, I never meant for Marinette to hate me. If I had known I’d be causing so much trouble simply by _existing_ , I never would have returned from Achu.”

 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Dramatic much?”

 

“I’m sorry that you hate me, Marinette,” Lila simpered with false sincerity, “But I just can’t stand by while you bully me. I can’t believe you’d accuse me of lying. Never, ever in my life have I lied—”

 

“Lila Dolores Rossi!”

 

Everyone turned to the door in alarm; the shout had come from out in the hall.

 

“Now, calm down Mademoiselle,” came the principal’s voice, “No need to get upset—”

 

The classroom door flew open and ricocheted off the wall with a slam.

 

Bustier and Damocles stood in the doorway, one nervous; one worried.

 

In between them stood one infuriated looking woman with tan skin and short brown hair.

“Mama?” Lila exclaimed in surprise.

 

Mrs. Rossi stood before the class and she was positively fuming.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So another chapter down and the plot is rolling full steam, isn't it?
> 
> I focused a little bit on Marinette's shortcomings, especially when it comes to Adrien--in this story because as much as I love salt fics, many of them have this 'St. Marinette" complex; the girl can literally do no wrong and is the most wonderful person in the world. Now Marinette is sweet, kind, outgoing, and very giving...but she is still flawed and capable of pettiness and single mindedness, hence how the whole Volpina incident came about. 
> 
> While I think Max's reason for being mad at her was a tad sexist (I don't get the impression he would have been as bothered to lose to a boy) it was a little rude of Marinette to steal his place in a tournament that didn't mean as much to her as it did to him, simply as a means to get close to Adrien. Her crush shouldn't take precedence over her friends' feelings to such a level. 
> 
> So yeah, I love Marinette, but she does have her faults and I wanted her to be aware of them herself. Sort of her own self reflection on being a considerate person after having encountered Lila who feels no remorse for her actions. One of those "Have I ever been as mean as her when it comes to Adrien?" moments.
> 
> As for the class, The way I choose to interpret things is that the class doesn’t mean to think poorly of Marinette, or possibly doesn’t truly believe bad things about her, but that Lila pulls out the sob stories and it catches them off guard, making it harder for them to focus on logic. 
> 
> They initial instinct to Lila acting sad or crying is to comfort her, to blame something or someone for it so they can stop whatever is making her sad. They’re so focused on that, that they don’t take the time to stop and think about whether her reaction or behavior was even warranted for the situation (I mean, her dramatically suggesting to leave the country over a seating arrangement? Major overkill dramatics).


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus Christ people! Sixty comments on the last chapter alone. Within a week no less! That's a new record for me.  
> So glad to see so many people are enjoying this fic. I sure as hell had fun writing it. 
> 
> Also overjoyed to see some of the more prominent reviewers/writers in the AO3 Miraculous Ladybug fandom enjoying this story. I sort of stalk comment sections of various stories for you guys because I love your viewpoints and how thought out they are. 
> 
> So glad other people agree with me on the whole 'Lila is sexually harassing Adrien' front. Seriously, guys should be allowed to say no and they shouldn't have to be expected to be 'flattered' by a girl paying them unwanted attention.
> 
> Now I'm sure some of you have noticed the 'Lila' skulking around the comment section.  
> Well after a rather lively discussion in the comment section of someone else's Ladybug story, I humbly dub our guest Dildo Clown. Don't need no context, it just fits.

* * *

“Mama?” Lila said in surprise.

 

Mrs. Rossi looked very imposing for all her five foot three stature. Normally rosy cheeks on slender, lovely features were now an ugly shade of reddish purple, her almond shaped eyes narrowed into slits and a scowl wrinkling her small, cupid’s bow mouth.

 

“You…” she grit out, pointing at Lila. She stormed up to her daughter, “Never have I been so humiliated!”

 

Lila held up her hands, taking a step back, “Mama, what are you talking about?”

 

She sent a nervous glance towards the principal but Damocles seemed too wary of intervening with Mrs. Rossi in such a state.

 

“I went to a bakery today,” Mrs. Rossi stated, positively fuming, “That one across from the school.”

 

Lila’s eyes widened, whipping around to look at a certain bluenette “You mean Marinette’s—”

 

Her mom quickly regained her attention, “While I was there I ran into some of your schoolmates. Or should I say,” She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, opening it up to something and showing it to Lila, “Members of your fanclub?”

 

Lila blanched; she was looking at the Ladyblog.

 

“You lied to me,” Mrs. Rossi accused, poking her daughter’s chest, _“Lied to me!”_

 

“Mother please,” Lila seeming to sense where the conversation was going, looked panicked around at her classmates, “Let’s not discuss this here…”

 

“Imagine my surprise,” Mrs. Rossi said angrily, “To learn my daughter is apparently very popular. For things that are news to me, mind you.”

 

Lila tried to quell her mother’s rage before she blurted out anything too incriminating, “Mama, calm down…you’re making a scene.”

 

“ _I’m_ making a scene?!” Mrs. Rossi balked, “That’s rich coming from the girl running her mouth all over Paris and making me look like a fool!”

 

Lila sent another worried glance towards her classmates, “Mama, this really isn’t the place for this conversation. Why don’t we—”

 

“I’m so glad those girls brought it up,” Mrs. Rossi continued, “Otherwise I would never have known just what you were up to. Thank goodness Mrs. Cheng was there to give me the truth that I apparently wasn’t getting from you!”

 

“Mama, listen,” Lila tried to soothe, “Whatever you heard from Marinette’s mother, you should know her daughter has been picking on me and her mom’s just probably lying for her—”

 

The angry retort Marinette had on the tip of her tongue to defend her mother never left her lips, as Lila was cut off my her mother’s enraged shout.

 

“I’ve spoken to your Principal, Lila!” she all but screamed, “I know the truth.”

 

Lila’s face went white as a sheet.

 

“You told me that school had been closed for akuma attacks!” Mrs. Rossi seethed, “That you were told to stay home from school until it was deemed safe.”

 

Murmuring went up among the class, Lila looking to them in frantic dismay.

 

Mrs. Rossi threw a hand out behind her, gesturing to Bustier and Damocles, “Now I find out it’s been open all along and you’ve been telling people you were on some trip to visit a-a Prince or something. Your school didn’t even have a clue you were in Paris; they had paperwork from _me_ , they said! Lila, did you forge my signature?!”

 

“I-I didn’t,” Lila denied shakily, “T-the school was closed whenever an akuma attacked…”

 

“Yeah, for a few hours,” Alya butted in, narrowing her eyes at Lila, “But never for several days at a time. Do you mean to tell me that all the months you were out of school, you had your mom believing that it was closed?”

 

Lila glared at Alya, “No!...I mean…”

 

“You can stop lying now, Ms. Rossi,” Damocles said sternly, “Your mother and I have already spoken with each other. Not only did she have no idea the school was open, but she can confirm you were within this city the whole time, meaning there was no valid reason for your absences.”

 

Lila cringed, “B-but…”

 

“Ha!” Chloe crowed, “Busted.”

 

Her statement drew a snicker from Alya, who seemed honestly surprised to agree with Chloe on anything.

 

Marinette was finding it hard to be the bigger person and not relish in Lila’s misfortune. She disliked Lila more than she ever thought possible and yet…

 

She spared a glance towards Adrien, stoically watching the scene unfold. He was right, wasn’t he? Exposing Lila like this was probably beyond embarrassing for her, more than any humiliation Marinette ever suffered at Chloe’s hands. Seeing the girl struggle to keep control of the situation, the lack of remorse in her and overall frustration at losing made it clear Lila wouldn’t be learning her lesson from this…she’d only become more bitter.

 

Still, Marinette couldn’t bring herself to intervene. Not out of pettiness, but out of sympathy. If she had been the one to expose Lila, there would be no arguing that a small part of her did it out of spite, even if overall she was protecting herself and her friends. It wouldn’t be very noble of her.

 

But Lila’s mother wasn’t trying to embarrass her daughter. Judging by the wetness around her red-rimmed eyes, Mrs. Rossi was hurt by the knowledge that her own daughter would manipulate her.

 

“You’ve been giving interviews about us going on supposed travels and vacations,” Mrs. Rossi went on, “During times your father and I were working. Do you know how much trouble we could get in if people honestly believed we were shirking our responsibilities to go _globetrotting_?”

 

“I-I’m sure it wouldn’t be that bad...” Lila tried to say.

 

“We could get fired, Lila!” Mrs. Rossi roared, “All our travels are covered by work expenses. The last thing we need is people thinking we travel for fun on embassy time and embassy money!”

 

And there was the rub, Lila had been treating her mother like a simpleton, even putting her job at risk with false stories. More so, it was pretty obvious that Lila didn’t feel bad about deceiving her mother or jeopardizing her parents’ jobs, just upset that she got caught.

 

It was unthinkable to be so willfully and gleefully duplicitous to your own parents. Guilt ate away at Marinette each time she had to lie to her parents to hide her identity. If it weren’t for the need for secrecy, she’d have told them by now, if only to keep them from worrying when she disappeared during akuma attacks.

 

But here Lila was lying to her mother so much, it was like Mrs. Rossi didn’t even know her own daughter.

 

“So you don’t really know Prince Ali?” Rose asked her voice tinged with shock and sadness.

 

“I do!” Lila said quickly, thinking up a lie on the spot, “W-we video chatted. We’re pen pals! I only said we hung out in person to…to make it sound more exciting. But I do know him personally; I did conference calls for the Summit.”

 

“You mean the Summit that Google says happens every six years?” Chloe questioned smugly, looking it up on her phone, “On the same month every time…six months off from the time you claimed it to be?”

 

Lila paled, “N-no…a-a different Summit!”

 

“I’m really disappointed in you, Lila,” Bustier said, shaking her head in dismay, “Your classmates have been giving you their time and effort to help you catch up on missed work when there was apparently never any reason for you to have fallen behind for so long to begin with.”

 

“But I…” Lila floundered.

 

Again, her mother cut her off, “Do you realize you’ll have to be charged with truancy? My daughter, in legal trouble! Do you realize how that makes me look?”

 

Lila took a step back for every step her mom took towards her, “Mama, please…let’s talk this out…”

 

“And another thing!” Mrs. Rossi exclaimed, “What’s this about Jagged Stone having written a song for you?”

 

Lila’s eyes widened, looking back at her class again before turning frantic eyes to her mother, “Mom, really…we don’t need to talk about that here. Please—”

 

“I got in touch with his agent,” Mrs. Rossi spat, “There is no song! And thank god for that; the last thing I need is people thinking I’m okay with my daughter hanging out with some middle aged rock star as his-his groupie or something!”

 

“That’s not what the song was about,” Lila insisted, backing further from her mother, “It was to t-thank me…”

 

“Ah yes,” her mother scoffed, “for saving his cat right? I looked into that too. He never owned a cat, nor has he ever heard of you. But here you are telling people online and off it that you injured yourself running out onto an active runway! Do you know how that makes me look? Everyone’s asking the same thing online, ‘Where was her mom?’ ‘How did she get onto the tarmac past security?’ ‘Who was watching her?’ You made me look like some sort of negligent mother! For an event that never happened!”

 

“So you don’t have tinnitus!” Alix exclaimed.

 

“I…” Lila whipped her gaze back and forth, “I…”

 

“Ms Rossi,” Damocles admonished, “Feigning a disability is a very serious matter.”

 

“She’s claimed to have several disabilities,” Chloe called out, “Arthritis, severe food allergies, tendinitis, dizzy spells…”

 

Damocles turned to Bustier, "Why wasn't I informed of any of these claims?  None of those conditions were listed in her file when she enrolled.  You weren't actually accommodating her for these things without proof, were you?"

 

Bustier flushed, well and truly chagrined, "She had a doctor's note for the tinnitus when she came in.  She assured me that it was added to the file in the nurse's office."

 

“She has none of those things,” Mrs. Rossi stated, sending an appalled glance at her daughter, "You have been forging my signature."

 

Chloe smirked, “I knew it.”

 

“The list goes on,” Mrs. Rossi continued, scrolling through the blog, “Apparently my child has been endangered by akuma’s multiple times, attacked and rescued by her so called ‘best friend’, Ladybug,” she eyed her daughter suspiciously, “the very superhero you told me was so incompetent that the akumas were never defeated and that that’s why school was closed!”

 

“Incompetent?” Chloe cried in outrage, “Ladybug? How dare you Liar-la!”

 

“So let’s review,” Alya said, a satisfied smirk on her face, “You don’t know Prince Ali, you don’t know Jagged Stone, and it’s a pretty safe bet that you and Ladybug are far from besties given all the crap you talk about her behind her back.”

 

“It’s just teasing,” Lila defended, trying to laugh the situation off, “Friends do that…”

 

Her classmates were far from convinced.

 

Nino crossed his arms, “So it’s safe to say you don’t know any directors.”

 

“Or actresses,” Mylene added.

 

“Or Clara Nightingale,” Juleka piled on.

 

“Or XY,” Sabrina joined in.

 

Chloe placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward at the waist to level Lila was a heavy, mocking glare, “So tell me, Lie-la. Has anything you’ve said been true?”

 

“I….” Lila stammered, “I…”

 

Desperate, Lila’s eyes landed on Adrien, the girl rushing him immediately.

 

“Adrien,” she cried, wasting no time to latch onto his arm, “They’re all being so mean to me when all I ever wanted for them to like me.”

 

“Young lady, you come here this instant and stop this nonsense,” Mrs. Rossi demanded.

 

Lila clung tighter to Adrien, pretending to sob into his shoulder, “Why is everyone being so mean to me?”

 

Marinette was fuming, “Leave him alone, Lila. He doesn’t want you touching him.”

 

Lila glared at Marinette, “As if you know anything about what he wants.”

 

“Actually,” Adrien said, pulling away, “She’s right…I didn’t want to say anything if it would hurt your feelings, but I don’t like you trying to touch me all the time.”

 

“What?” Lila gaped, still struggling to keep a hold of him, “Come on, Adrien don’t kid with me.”

 

Adrien shook his head, “I’m not.”

 

An ugly scowl crossed Lila’s face, “Seriously? A pretty girl hanging off you; that what every boy wants.”

 

Chloe scoffed, “Pretty? Dream on, Rossi.”

 

Lila sneered at Chloe before redirecting her attention to Adrien, “Adrien, please. Sure, I come off a little strong, but it’s only because I want people to like me. Is that so wrong? I only lied to make friends!”

 

“You know, Lila,” Adrien said calmly, finally extracting himself from her grasp, “Maybe if I didn’t know what I do now, I might have believed that. But frankly…you trying to make everyone hate Marinette makes it pretty clear that this had little to do with wanting friends.”

 

Lila looked at Adrien pleadingly, “But…”

 

“You’ve been manipulating everyone,” Adrien went on, “Having them carry things for you, take notes for you in class, get your lunch for you. No one needed to do that and you definitely didn’t ask them to as a way of making friends.”

 

“But…”

 

“You had me tutor you and catch you up on your homework,” Adrien pressed on, “When you clearly didn’t need the help, and you knew I was already busy with my schedule. In fact, I think you were deliberately keeping me from my friends, weren’t you?”

 

“No!”

 

Adrien frowned at her, “You apparently told Nino you weren’t interested in me, but that very same day you kissed me without permission and took a photo of it. You even sent it to everyone in our class; pretty sure you were trying to convince everyone we were dating, and you never once asked if I was okay with it.”

 

“I was just goofing around,” Lila excused.

 

Adrien’s brow furrowed more, “You made sure to send it to every girl I’m friends with, including Kagami, who you shouldn’t have even had the number of. You hurt my friend.”

 

It was Lila’s turn to frown, “So what? You don’t even like her that way.”

 

“No, but I care about her feelings,” Adrien said simply.

 

“I put up with your behavior because I didn’t want to be mean to you,” Adrien stated, “but it was with the hope that you’d learn for yourself that lying was wrong. I told you I could only be friends with you if you didn’t hurt those I care about.”

 

He threw an arm around Marinette’s shoulder, not noticing the girl flush bright pink and go rigid beside him, “Well, Marinette’s someone I care for. Very much; she’s one of the nicest people who ever lived and one of the most important people in my life.”

 

Alya reached for her cellphone to record this declaration for posterity, but Nino stopped her.

 

Adrien’s eyes were hard as he stared at Lila, “You claim to want to be my friend, yet when I tell you not to hurt those that matter to me, you go and do it anyway. You tried to vilify Marinette…I wanted to see the good in you, but it’s clear you don’t care who you hurt as long as you end out on top. This is all a game to you, isn’t it?”

 

Lila shook her head, “N-no…I just wanted to spend time with you…”

 

“I did it all for you, Adrien,” she cried impassionedly.

 

Chloe snorted, “Then why did you try and throw him under the bus as well the minute he exposed your lies?”

 

Lila winced; she forgot about that, “Well…that’s because…”

 

“You tried to accuse Marinette of something she hadn’t done,” Alya called out, hand on her best friend’s shoulder supportively, “You called her a bully, but the only bully here is you.”

 

“Bullying, Lila?” Mrs. Rossi gasped, her brow furrowing further and the disapproval growing even more in her eyes, “is there no level you haven’t stooped to. What else have you done?”

 

“Nothing!” Lila cried.

 

“She’s been sexually harassing Adrien,” Ivan stated, recalling their discussion before Mrs. Rossi’s arrival.

 

“What?!” Judging by the chorus of three, Mrs. Rossi wasn’t the only adult scandalized by this declaration.

 

“Lila!” Mrs. Rossi squawked.

 

Mr. Damocles fixed Lila with a stern, grave look, “is this true, miss Rossi?”

 

“Of course it isn’t,” Lila snapped, whirling around to glare at her principal. Realizing what she’d just done, she schooled her features to a shocked, horrified look, “I’d never do something like that.”

 

“You touch Adrien without permission all the time,” Nino declared angrily, “You were literally just doing it. How is that not harassment?”

 

“Madam Bustier, surely you’ve noticed,” Alya beseeched her teacher, “Right from day one, Lila’s had her hands all over Adrien.”

 

Bustier thought about it, looking away in contemplation.

 

“It’s true Lila has been very…upfront with her interest in Adrien,” she confessed, “But I had assumed that if it bothered Adrien he would have told me…”

 

Turing to said model, her eyes softened in worry and sadness, “Adrien?”

 

Adrien looked down sadly, “I didn’t think anyone would take it seriously…everyone assumes I’m used to girls hanging on me because I’m a model.”

 

“Oh, Adrien,” Bustier said woefully, “I never realized…I thought…with how you and Chloe behave together—”

 

“Chloe’s his friend, Madam Bustier,” Nino reminded her carefully, “Lila was a stranger when she started this. We all sort of…brushed off some obvious clues that Adrien wasn’t comfortable.” He patted Adrien’s shoulder, an apologetic look on his face.

 

“Not to mention if his dad found out some girl was practically molesting him,” Chloe added with disdain, “he’d probably take Adrikins out of school again. That’s the last thing he deserves after putting up with her. Of course he’d be afraid to speak up.”

 

Mr. Damocles nodded, seeing the sense in that, “It is standard procedure to follow up any harassment claims by notifying the parents involved.”

 

Chloe gestured empathically, “See, Adrikins was backed into a corner.”

 

Mr. Damocles turned a contrite expression to Adrien, “I’m sorry that I and the staff left you to handle this on your own, Mr. Agreste.”

 

“Indecent behavior,” Mrs. Rossi bemoaned, shaking her head, “My daughter…”

 

“You can’t seriously believe them over me, mom,” Lil cried in outrage, “They’re the ones making things up. I’m innocent.”

 

“You falsely accused Marinette!” Alya roared.

 

Lila scoffed, “That was just a onetime thing. Otherwise I have been nothing but—”

 

“She threatened Marinette in the bathroom,” Chloe said bluntly.

 

The classroom noise abruptly dropped off into stunned silence.

 

Then all hell broke loose.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...can you tell I like cliffhangers? Like really, REALLY like cliffhangers.  
> I gave Bustier and Damocles more slack than I probably should, but I'm going on the assumption that Lila might have forged her mom's signature on things in order to cover her tracks. How else would she have gotten away with missing so much school? 
> 
> Bustier I was sorely tempted to go off on the Chameleon crap. Even if she believes Lila's stories, there was no reason for her to enforce Marinette sitting alone when she clearly knows how important friends are to the girl. And when it became evident that Marinette was bothered by it, Bustier dismissed it and even made her feel bad for questioning why she should have to sit alone. She could have easily just put Marinette in a row of three instead of by herself. As it is, what teacher with a seating chart lets her students rearranged the whole class when only one student needs accommodations?
> 
> Eh, I guess I'm just salty, Bustier's attitude has always bugged me in how she deals with bullies and negativity. She lets those who misbehave do so for fear that scolding them will upset them and asks kids who feel hurt to put up with it in order to set a good example. It is NOT a student's job to set an example for a misbehaving classmate; that's the teacher's job. Putting some students well being ahead of other student's well being is piss poor teaching in my opinion. And disregarding Marinette's feelings on multiple occasions makes her a shitty teacher in my book. 
> 
> Anyone wondering how Chloe knows about the bathroom threat?
> 
> Review please :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> I must say, I have NEVER gotten this many reviews for so few chapters. I've got a Harry Potter story on here that's over a hundred chapters long and it took me maybe twenty chapters to get the number of reviews I have here! Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of loyal readers and reviewers on that story, but this story--THIS STORY RIGHT HERE--has some of you so excited and that in turn makes ME excited and this is a merry circle of happy we've got going on here. 
> 
> It's great to see more and more people flocking to this story for two key reasons: Alya being a good friend and Lila getting called out on sexual harassment. The latter is a very important subject to me, being strongly against the sexual harassment/assault of anyone regardless of gender and the support of all victims. To see so many of you come to this story because that's a matter important to you as well means a lot to me. <3

* * *

_“_ _She threatened Marinette in the bathroom,” Chloe said bluntly._

_The classroom noise abruptly dropped off into stunned silence._

_Then all hell broke loose._

_\--_

 

“WHAT?!” Alya screeched in rage. She attempted to climb over the desk, “Just wait until I get my hands on you!”

 

It took both Marinette and Nino’s combined efforts to hold her back.

 

To say Mrs. Rossi was aghast at the latest revelation was an understatement, “Lila?!”

 

“Not cool, dude,” Nino shouted at Lila, struggling to restrain his girlfriend.

 

Rose glared at Lila, “Shame on you!”

 

Mrs. Rossi was reeling, hand on her forehead. As she swayed, Bustier swooped in to slide a chair under her.

 

“Assaulting a classmate,” Mrs. Rossi murmured, “And threatening another...what has become of my daughter?”

 

“I didn’t,” Lila denied hotly.

 

Alix glared at her, “Why should we believe you after everything else was a lie?”

 

“Going by everything that’s been revealed,” Max said, his voice laced with disapproval, “There’s a ninety-nine percent chance Lila did threaten Marinette. I theorize she’s willing to go to extreme measures to keep her lies from being uncovered.”

 

“How could my child do such a thing?” Mrs. Rossi bemoaned, face in her hands.

 

Adrien for his part didn’t say anything, but Marinette felt a sudden tensing from the boy standing beside her. Looking up at him, she startled; she’d never seen Adrien look so mad before.

 

Mr. Damocles was quick to take the reigns, “Now, now everyone. Let’s all calm down.”

 

“If you would be so kind as to tell us exactly what happened, Ms. Bourgeois?” he asked politely, gesturing to Chloe.

 

“Her first day back, Lila cornered Marinette in the bathroom,” Chloe explained, examining her nails casually as if she was discussing something banal like the weather, “It was after the whole napkin thing—where all of you fell for another absurd lie,” she added, eyeing her classmates.

 

The class had the good decency to look ashamed, guilt evident on their faces.

 

“Marinette must have been having a breakdown or something in the bathroom,” Chloe went on, “You know, since her friends turned on her.”

 

More guilty looks.

 

Mrs. Rossi listening on in mild confusion, not having been privy to much of the upset her daughter had apparently caused on her first day back to school.

 

Chloe kept going, “Anyway, Lila came in and tried to play the same con game with Marinette, but she wasn’t biting. Probably because she knows Jagged doesn’t own a cat. His agent gave Marinette his number; the guy tells everyone she’s like his niece.”

 

She gave her classmates another unimpressed look, “You’d think you would remember that. She’s only designed his sunglasses, his album cover, _and_ been on tv with him.”

 

“I think you’ve driven your point home, Chloe,” Bustier chided gently, taking in the crestfallen faces of her class, “You were saying?”

 

Chloe rolled her eyes, but nodded all the same, “Right, so Lila tried to trick Marinette too, but baker girl wasn’t having it. Told Lila she needed to knock it off, which apparently _someone_ ,” she eyed Lila, “Didn’t like too much.”

 

All eyes fell on Lila.

 

“She told Marinette she’d turn everyone against her if Marinette didn’t side with her,” Chloe said simply. This was the most she’d ever used Marinette’s first name, “Said she’d make it so that she had no friends and be miserable, essentially.”

 

She turned to the class, “Basically, she threatened Marinette with losing everything unless she agreed to let Lila get away with lying and treating you all like her parade of dancing monkeys.”

 

“What the hell, Lila!” Kim said angrily.

 

Bustier gasped, “Kim, language.”

 

“Lila!” Mrs. Rossi scolded in anger.

 

“Mom, I didn’t do it,” Lila tried to deny.

 

Mrs. Ross wouldn’t be deceived, not this time, “You’ve already lied to me; how can you expect me to believe you now?”

 

“You’re a dead woman,” Alya seethed, barely being held back by Nino.

 

Adrien turned to Marinette, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

Marinette bit her lip, eyes askance, “You suggested we take the high road because she wouldn’t change or be sorry if we embarrassed her…she’d just get angry and akumatized.”

 

“But she threatened you!” Adrien exclaimed, “Marinette, I was just talking about letting her tell a few wild stories, not get away with actually trying to hurt anyone. That’s two different things!”

 

“Yeah but,” Marinette fretted, “You were right; she doesn’t change from being called out. She doesn’t even feel bad about it.”

 

“That doesn’t mean I wanted you to stand by and let her hurt you deliberately,” Adrien implored, grabbing Marinette by the shoulders. It took some effort to get Marinette to look at him, the bluenette’s face reddening.

 

“I never meant for you to think you couldn’t stand up for yourself,” Adrien explained sincerely, “I thought she was just going to tell some silly stories and the class would lose interest in it eventually on their own.”

 

He gestured around the room, “I mean, Chloe’s the mayor’s daughter; my dad’s a leading fashion designer, Rose, Juleka and Ivan are in a band that won XY’s contest...”

 

He beamed at Marinette, “and you’re an amazing designer who’s not only worked with Jagged Stone but been offered an internship with _the_ Audrey Bourgeois. Our class already has some pretty amazing people in it; I figured the Lila hype would die down if we just ignored her.”

 

“Like Tinkerbell,” Rose suggested helpfully, “You have to keep clapping or she dies.”

 

“She dies if you don’t believe, Rose,” Juleka said gently, “the clapping is just to bring her back to life…”

 

“Back on track, people,” Alya snapped. She turned to Adrien with narrowed eyes, “I believe Mister Passive here was giving my girl an apology.”

 

“I _am_ sorry,” Adrien said seriously, eyes on Marinette, “I didn’t realize her misleading everyone was actually harmful. I didn’t mean to let it hurt Alya’s blog,” he added, side eyeing the blogger.

 

Alya huffed, arms crossed, “And?”

 

“And I never thought Lila would try to hurt you, Marinette,” Adrien went on regretfully, “That was a mistake; I should have been more considerate of your feelings. Instead, I let you down.”

 

“Y-you didn’t let me down,” Marinette protested weakly.

 

“Yes, I did,” Adrien insisted.

 

“We all did,” Alya added.

 

The class nodded mournfully.

 

“Miss...” Mrs. Rossi began wringing her hands, “Marinette, was it? I am...grievously sorry for any trouble my daughter has caused you. I never...never thought she’d do something like this...I—”

 

“Enough with the pity party,” Chloe interrupted, “Let’s not forget who caused this whole mess: Lila.”

 

The class chimed in agreement, turning to said girl with anger in their eyes.

 

Alix crossed her arms over her chest, “You know, maybe I could forgive the lying. But you tried to ruin our friendship with Marinette and you don’t even feel bad about it, do you?”

 

Juleka nodded, “That’s pretty low.”

 

Max frowned, “You lied about the napkin story just so you could make us think Marinette would willingly hurt one of us,” he slapped his forehead, “And I fell for it.”

 

“You wear glasses, idiot,” Chloe sneered.

 

Ivan glared at Lila, “You made us do stuff for you because we thought you were injured.”

 

Mrs. Rossi shook her head disapprovingly, “Really, Lila, how could you?”

 

“We brought you lunch,” Alix said.

 

“Carried your books,” Nathaniel added.

 

“I did your homework because you claimed to be busy with a charity for Prince Ali!” Rose pointed out. Juleka patted her back comfortingly.

 

Bustier gasped, “You haven’t even been doing your own assignments?”

 

“Let’s not forget the sexual harassment,” Nino joined in

 

“Indeed,” Mrs. Rossi agreed, arms crossed over her chest, “And now that I think about it, young lady, wasn’t Adrien the one you said was your boyfriend?”

 

“That’s a lie!” Adrien yelled at the same time as Marinette.

 

“N-no,” Lila lied unconvincingly.

 

Mrs. Rossi narrowed her eyes, “Yes...yes it was. I’m sure of it. In fact, you said he was the one to tell you school was closed.”

 

She placed her hands on her hips, “So on top of harassing him, you were lying about him being with you.”

 

Chloe glared at the girl, “What? Were you going to go around telling people he was your boyfriend so that when he did reject you, you could turn everyone against him? Make him feel guilty enough that he’d date you just to keep the rumors from flying?”

 

Lila cringed, “n-not exactly...”

 

The class exchanged horrified, disgusted looks; who could think of such a thing?

 

Lila took in everyone’s angry glares, “Everyone…I can explain.”

 

“And Marinette knew we were being used,” Mylene realized, “That’s why she tried to prove you were lying.”

 

The class looked sadly at Marinette, uttering apologies.

 

“We’re sorry Marinette,” Alix said sincerely.

 

Kim nodded, “Yeah, we never should have assumed you were jealous.”

 

Marinette looked down at her lap.

 

“I was…” she confessed, avoiding looking at Adrien, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous, but I also didn’t want her to ruin Alya’s blog with lies or get all your hopes up with promises she wasn’t going to keep.”

 

Alya drew Marinette into a hug, “Girl, that isn’t on you. I should have checked my sources.”

 

“Well Ms Rossi,” Damocles said, clearing his throat, “In light of the circumstances, what do you have to say for yourself?”

 

“It’s a lie,” Lila declared, glaring heatedly at Chloe, “Did I …exaggerate a little…maybe a teeny bit, but I’m not a bully! I just wanted to make friends; is that so wrong?’

 

She turned her icy glare to Marinette, getting angrier when Adrien stepped in front of the bluenette protectively.

 

“I may be a lot of things, but I’m not that mean—and the whole Adrien thing was just a misunderstanding...I misinterpreted his feelings for me.”

 

“Yeah, I’d call that a load of bull,” Chloe sneered.

 

Lila glared at her, “Clearly Marinette was jealous that I was getting more attention from the class and told Chloe this whole made up story.”

 

She turned pleading eyes to her mother, “You have to believe me, Mama. I may have stretched the truth, but I’d never threatened anyone.”

 

“Lila,” Mrs. Rossi frowned down at her daughter, not buying a word of her little speech.

 

“Marinette was probably just trying to get Chloe to hate me so that she’d get the mayor to have me expelled. He’s Chloe’s father, you know; she’s threatening to—”

 

“Dupain-Cheng didn’t tell me anything,” Chloe interrupted.

 

Lila turned to her, hate burning in her yes, “Oh? Then how did you hear about this ‘alleged’ threat?”

 

Leveling a thoroughly unimpressed look at Lila, Chloe snapped her fingers.

 

“Sabrina!” she barked.

 

Sabrina stood up hesitantly, looking nervously around the room. She’d contributed very little to the fighting since it began, choosing to sit in silence for the most part beside her sneering friend.

 

Sabrina glanced at her classmates anxiously; it was uncharacteristic of her. Normally she was overzealous in her need to follow Chloe’s orders, gleeful even.

 

“…I’d bought some sushi at lunch because that’s what I usually eat with Chloe,” Sabrina explained, “But I didn’t have time to go someplace fancy that morning, so I…bought it at a convenience store.”

 

“Which I’ve warned you never to do,” Chloe said with a sigh.

 

Sabrina nodded, “Yeah…well I was feeling really sick so I went to the bathroom to…be sick,” she seemed hesitant to tell the class what sort of intestinal distress she was actually in. That explained why she didn’t seem too keen on talking.

 

“Then Marinette came in,” Sabrina went on, “She was talking to someone about Lila…it must have been on her phone or something because they sounded funny.”

 

Marinette tensed; Sabrina had heard Tikki! She prayed everyone would assume it was just a phone call too.

 

Sabrina nervously twiddled her thumbs, “I didn’t want anyone to know I was in there having…problems…so I kept quiet. With my legs tucked up, no one would know I was there.

 

“That’s when Lila came in,” Sabrina carried on, “At first she sounded like she was trying to make amends with Marinette. I thought she was being pretty sincere. But when Marinette accused her of lying, she just sort of …dropped the act.”

 

“She’s making this all up,” Lila declared, pointing a finger at Sabrina, “She’s doing this because Chloe told her to.”

 

Chloe narrowed her eyes, “I didn’t tell her to do anything. Now why don’t you shut up and listen.” She nodded to Sabrina.

 

Sabrina turned back to the class, “After that, Lila started saying things. Like how she was just telling us what we want to hear…she called the class dumb.”

 

“I did not!” Lila refuted.

 

“And then,” Sabrina went on, “Well…”

 

When Sabrina pulled out her phone, all the color drained from Lila’s face.

 

“I thought it would be good gossip to share with Chloe,” Sabrina explained with chagrin, “So I recorded it.”

 

She hit play and then a very familiar voice filled the air, although it no longer sounded so sweet and demure as everyone was used to.

 

‘ _There’s nothing you can do about it anyway,’_ came Lila’s voice, laced with sinister intent, _‘People can’t resist when they hear what they like to hear, If you don’t want to be my friend, fine! But soon you won’t have any friends left at all and trust me, I’ll make sure you’ll never get close to Adrien in class or anywhere else.’_

 

There was a sound, like a hand slamming on tile.

 

‘ _You seem a little less dumb than the others so I’ll give you one last chance. You’re either with me or against me. You don’t have to answer right away. I’ll give you until the end of class today.’_

 

There were footsteps, then the sound of the bathroom door swinging shut.

 

Everyone turned to glare at Lila.

 

“I-it’s not what you think,” Lila said lamely hands up in surrender, “It…it must be an edited recording.”

 

“I don’t have that high tech a phone,” Sabrina said, “This was recorded as is.”

 

“Y-yeah, but…”

 

“Quiet!” Alix snapped, “Marinette’s talking.”

 

‘ _She’s like a supervillain who doesn’t need a costume,’_ Marinette cries filled the room.

 

‘ _You mustn’t let her get to you, Marinette,’_ came a tiny voice.

 

Alya nudged her friend, “Girl, who were you talking to?”

 

“Uh, a friend of my family’s,” Marinette said quickly. It wasn’t a total lie, Tikki was her friend and basically as much a part of her life as any of her friends or family, “I hadn’t hung up the phone; she heard everything Lila said.”

 

She didn’t notice Adrien staring contemplatively off into space.

 

“That voice,” he muttered. Why did it sound so familiar? He wracked his brain but couldn’t place a time where he’d ever heard that voice before. Still, it struck some strange chord of Deja vu in him.

 

Nino turned to him, “You say something?”

 

Adrien shook his head, “it’s nothing.”

 

‘ _She’ll turn my friends against me,’_ Marinette was saying, _‘Including Adrien.’_

 

They heard her hit the stall door, then there was only sobbing.

 

Alya glared at Lila, “I can’t believe I ever thought you were a good person.”

 

Lila searched for a friendly face, “You guys, come on. This is all a misunderstanding.”

 

Alya growled, “Like hell it is.”

 

‘ _Akuma!’_

 

Everyone gasped, several people shrieked. They all looked around them warily, spring loaded to run for the door. It took them a few moments to realize that the cry had come from the recording.

You can resist it, Marinette,’ came the tiny voice, ‘HawkMoth’s—”

 

The recording abruptly ended.

 

“I-I got scared,” Sabrina admitted, shamedfaced, “I thought it would come for me, o-or that Marinette would when she got akumatied. So I slipped out.”

 

She flinched under the weight of her classmate’s judging stares.

 

Chloe glared back at everyone, “Don’t put this on Sabrina. She’s not a superhero like me; she’s not equipped to handle an akuma.”

 

“She still left Marinette,” Alya said heatedly, arm protectively around her friend. She then turned her glare to Lila, “Was your plan to get her akumatized to make her look worse?”

 

Lila rapidly shook her head, “No!”

 

“But Marinette didn’t get akumatize,” Ivan pointed out curiously, “Why is that?”

 

Everyone turned to Marinette.

 

Slipping out of Alya’s protective cuddle, Marinette flushed.

 

“Hawkmoth akumatizes people who think there isn’t any solution to their problems,” she explained hesitantly, “Ti—my friend told me that I always find a solution. And she was right...I usually figure out a way to help people or my friends, so I told myself I could help against Lila. Then I felt better….and the akuma went away.”

 

“And then Lila turned up akumatized,” Chloe said, “That’s why Ladybug had to ‘save’ her from the Eiffel Tower.”

 

“What?” Mrs. Rossi turned to Lila in shock, “Lila, why wasn’t I told of this? You were akumatized?”

 

Chloe smirked, “Two or three times, in fact.”

 

“That’s a lie!” Lila snarled.

 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Please, we all know now that there’s no way you were in Achu on Heroes Day, so the Volpina that Sabrina saw create the illusion of Ladybug and Chat Noir had to have been you.”

 

“Lila, I can’t believe this,” Mrs. Rossi sputtered, beyong incensed, “You’ve lied, you’ve skipped school, threatened students, and you never once told me that you were akumatized. Don’t you think I’d want to know my daughter was endangered by Hawkmoth?”

 

“I…”

 

“Pfft, please,” Chloe snarked, “I’m pretty sure she’s put up little resistance to working with Hawkmoth.”

 

Lila looked at Chloe in alarm.

 

Adrien narrowed his eyes at Lila, then turned to Chloe, “What do you mean, Chloe?”

 

Chloe shrugged, “Isn’t it obvious? She must have been in a pretty good mood after threatening Marinette. So confident that she’d won. So how did she get akumatized?”

 

“Because of Adrien,” Lila shouted, pointing at the model, “He upset me.”

 

Adrien cocked a brow, “By offering to be your friend and asking you nicely to tell the truth?”

 

“Uh...” Lila was at a loss for words.

 

“Let’s not forget that Ladybug outed Lila according to Adrikins,” Chloe pointed out, thoroughly enjoying watching Lila squirm, “So it’s safe to say you were never friends with her and probably even hate her for putting you in your place. And according to Adrien you still hold a grudge. So would it really be so farfetched to believe that you willingly teamed up with Hawkmoth to try and get back at her?”

 

“Well, I…” Lila tried to come up with an excuse, “I…”

 

Chloe raised her hand, counting off on her fingers, “Three times you’ve helped Hawkmoth. Twice as Volpina, once recently as Chameleon. Not a very good track record.”

 

Mrs. Rossi gaped at her daughter, “Lila!”

 

“Oh like you haven’t been akumatized more than once,” Lila spat at Chloe, ignoring her mother, “Besides, I can’t be held responsible for what I do as an akuma if no one else is expected to be. I was under his control. You don’t have any proof that I did anything for him willingly.”

 

Chloe examined her nails, letting out a hum of disinterest that only riled Lila even more.

 

“Okay, so perhaps one could give you a pass for the akumatizations,” Chloe said with a shrug, “Let’s say what you did as an akuma was completely out of your control.”

 

She fixed Lila with a pointed stare, a smirk in place, “But when Onii-chan attacked you weren’t the akuma...and yet you still played the villain.”

 

Lila blanched, “W-what are you talking about? I was the victim!”

 

“Daddy is friends with the head of the fire department,” Chloe explained, “And according to him, one of his firefighters witnessed Chat Noir accuse a girl with a horn on her head of deliberately trying to separate him from Ladybug during the whole Onii-Chan incident. And last I checked, you were the only one with a horn during that attack, because you were the main target of that Kagami girl.”

 

“T-that was completely out of context!” Lila cried desperately.

 

Chloe only smirked wider, “And...the store front some of the attack took place outside of was my favorite salon, my stylist was hiding inside. She said she saw a girl with a horn promise she’d give up Adrien only if Onii-Chan defeated Ladybug...”

 

She tilted her head at Lila with mocking pity and condescension, “Did you really think your conversation wouldn’t be overheard out in the public like that?”

 

Instantly the class was in an uproar.

 

“Dude!” Nino cried, “You’re basically working with a terrorist!”

 

“You’d endanger all of Paris and leave us without Ladybug all so you could settle a petty grudge?” Alya asked in disgust, “That’s low, even for you.”

 

“She was going to take Chat’s miraculous too,” Marinette tried to interject, not appreciating that no one seemed that concerned for her feline partner.

 

She missed the perplexed look Adrien shot her.

 

“You’re worse than a bully,” Alix sneered, “You’re a villain.”

 

“Yeah!” the class cried out as one.

 

“Worse than Chloe,” Mylene yelled.

 

“Hey!” Chloe snapped.

 

“I-I’ve heard enough,” Mrs. Rossi said shakily. Her entire body seemed to be vibrating with anger.

 

“M-mama,” Lila tried weakly, “If you’re just listen to me—”

 

“No young lady,” Mrs. Rossi cut off, “You have…what you have done is….just beyond reprehensive. I have never been more disappointed with you in my life.”

 

“Mama—”

 

“I trusted you,” Mrs. Rossi said, angry tears welling up in her eyes, “I listened to you and I believed you and I took your word time and time again because I thought you were telling me the truth; that you were honest with me. Now I find out it was all lies. Ones that make me look like the biggest idiot in Paris for having fallen for.”

 

Damocles stepped forward, “Perhaps we could discuss the rest of this in my office, Mrs. Rossi. The authorities will need to be contacted about...well, many things apparently. There’s still some matters we will need to discuss in regards to your daughter’s truancy.”

 

He gave Mrs. Rossi an apologetic look, “I must warn you, there’s a very good chance she could be expelled. And she may be charged for her actions.”

 

“Charged?!” Lila squawked, “Like arrested?”

 

Mrs. Rossi nodded wearily, “Yes…of course. Come along, Lila.”

 

“But—”

 

“Now!” Mrs. Rossi ordered sharply, walking out of the room with Damocles.

 

Sparing her smirking classmates one last venomous look, Lila stomped out of the room, Madam Bustier following her out.

 

“Turn to page ninety-two in your history books, please,” Bustier added before leaving. “Study period.”

 

The moment the adults and Lila were gone, the room descended into rambunctious clamor.

 

“Marinette we’re sorry!” Rose cried, eyes filled with tears. She practically climbed over the desks to hug Marinette.

 

Alix nodded, “I should have stuck up for you more; I knew things weren’t adding up with what she was saying.”

 

“Yeah and I shouldn’t have taken her side so easily,” Kim confessed.

 

Max grimaced in contrition, “I guess the saying it true: if it sounds too good to be true…”

 

“Then it probably is,” finished Ivan, “Sorry, Marinette. I should have had your back.”

 

Mylene bowed her head, hands folded together, “Me too. You’ve always been so helpful; I shouldn’t have written you off so quickly.”

 

“Guys,” Marinette stammered, Rose still clinging to her like a limpet, “It’s alright.”

 

“No it isn’t,” Alya insisted, finally managing to detach Rose only to take her place, “Girl, I messed up in a big way and when you tried to get me to see reason, I wouldn’t listen. That’s on me. You have every right to be upset with us.”

 

Nino nodded, “Yeah Dudette, we should have listened to you.”

 

Chloe noticed several classmates eyeing her as she didn’t join in the apology pile, “What? For once I wasn’t the one being a jerk to her. It was all of you!”

 

Alix crossed her arms, “Still, how long have you known about that recording?”

 

“Yeah,” Nathaniel jumped in, “Why didn’t you say anything if you had proof she was lying.”

 

Chloe shrugged, “I wanted to see if Lila-Lila Pants on Fire was going to try and make good on her threat. If she had left Dupain-Cheng alone, all me targeting her would have done was make me another one of her enemies. Don’t get me wrong, Queen Bee can handle any akuma, but I’d rather not have to break a nail if I don’t have to.”

 

“Besides,” she added, “You wouldn’t have needed me at all if you guys had simply taken a moment and realized her stories made _zero_ sense. I mean really, a monkey could have figure things out sooner than you guys!”

 

“Chloe, please,” Marinette said quietly. The class turned to her expectantly, eyes swimming with regret and concern.

 

“It _did_ hurt that you wouldn’t believe me,” she confessed to her friends, “I thought I meant a lot to you all, but you just shoved me to the back without a second thought. And no one considered my feelings, being all alone; you just accused me of jealousy. I thought…I thought we were all closer than that.”

 

“We really let you down, didn’t we?” Nino said sadly. The others hung their heads.

 

Marinette nodded, “I’m not saying you guys need to side with me or believe everything I say, but me not going along with something shouldn't be a reason to write me off or not think about how I feel.  I get that I'm usually pretty easy going with what everyone wants, but...I should be allowed to say I'm not okay with something sometimes without people getting mad at me."

 

Alya hugged Marinette tightly, "You're right, girl.  We shouldn't have excluded you."

 

Marinette's vision swam with tears, but she stubbornly blinked them away, leaning into her best friend's embrace. 

 

"None of you asked how I felt about being pushed to the back," she went on, "And you all expected me to be okay with it.  I'm all for helping a student in need, but even if if hadn't been Lila, I still would have been bothered that everyone else got to sit with friends and I didn't.  Yet none of you considered that at all; you all just assumed I was being unreasonable."

 

She dabbed her eyes, "I'm entitled to my feelings, you guys…I always try to consider your feelings.”

 

“And I didn’t consider yours,” Adrien said miserably, surprising Marinette.

 

The blonde dropped into the seat next to Marinette.

 

“Marinette, I’m sorry I asked you not to do anything,” he apologized, turning to her with so much remorse in his eyes, “I’m not…good at conflict. I’ve always been told to not make a scene. When rumors and lies spread in tabloids, it was always understood that fighting those lies made them look more true. But ignoring them made them lose credibility.”

 

He looked at his friends, “I thought if we ignored her, Lila would screw up on her own and she wouldn’t have anyone to be mad at but herself. But I didn’t know she had threatened you, Marinette. I can’t forgive that and I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I didn’t stand up to her from the start.”

 

Marinette gave Adrien a kind smile, “You didn’t know she’d threatened me—”

 

Adrien cut her off, “No but I shouldn’t have made excuses for her.”

 

“A part of me really hoped there was some good in Lila,” Adrien confessed, “I thought maybe she was lying because she really wanted friends. That maybe she was lonely…we all handle loneliness in our own way.”

 

His eyes traveled to Chloe, the blonde girl flinching and averting her gaze.

 

“I didn’t realize how much it was hurting you, Marinette,” Adrien admitted, sorrowfully, “And that’s my fault. I should have been less focused on keeping Lila from being akumatized and more focused on being there for someone’s who’s always there for me.”

 

“We all should have,” Alya said, “We all got caught up in some pretty stories and forgot about you.  Like Adrien said; this class already has some pretty amazing people in it.  We shouldn't have let Lila's supposedly glamorous life sweep us off our feet.”

 

“We shouldn’t have assumed we knew why you were upset,” Mylene said contritely, “We were wrong to accuse you of being jealous.”

 

Marinette winced, “Well, like I said, you weren’t entirely wrong...I was a little jealous—that I was shoved to the back,” she added quickly sending a panicked look at Adrien.

 

Alya fought back a knowing smile at her friends antics, trying to stay on point, “Still I never should have assumed you would call her a liar just out of jealousy. You would never let jealousy get the best of you like that.”

 

Her words made guilt settle in Marinette’s stomach like a lead weight, “I wouldn’t say never.”

 

She took a deep breath, “Chloe and I tried to ruin the movie premiere for Kagami.”

 

Several people gasped.

 

“You teamed up with Chloe?” Alya asked, “Girl, I get not liking the Ice Queen but...working with _Chloe_?”

 

Chloe glared at Alya, “I’m right here, you know.”

 

Marinette looked away, ashamed,“I know I shouldn’t have. Thankfully we didn’t succeed. I don’t know anything about Kagami, I didn’t have any valid reason to dislike her aside from my own pettiness. She clearly cares a lot about Adrien, unlike Lila who treated him like property.  Kagami didn’t deserve any of that, and I owe her an apology. I felt bad about it and stopped, but still...I was jealous...of her spending time with Adrien...”

 

One of her classmates inhaled sharply while everyone’s eyes darted to Adrien, collectively holding their breaths.

 

Adrien frowned, “Why would you be jealous? Marinette, even if I’m friends with Kagami, I’m always going to be friends with you.”

 

Alix and Kim groaned; Nathaniel slapped a hand to his forehead. Good old oblivious Agreste.

 

Marinette grinned nervously, “Right...”

 

“Listen,” Alya interrupted before things could get any more awkward, “Long of the short of it is this: you’re a friend and we should never have let some new girl push you out.”

 

“Yeah,” echoed Juleka.

 

“We’re sorry,” Ivan apologized.

 

Marinette smiled at her friends, “You guys...I—”

 

A loud boom rocked the school, the windows rattling.

 

“What the,” Nino raced to the window, peering down into the courtyard, “Akuma!”

 

“Three guesses who it is,” Alya grumbled, already pulling out her phone.

 

“You seriously can’t be considering going out there right now?” Alix asked, “If it is Lila, you’re one of the people she’ll likely go after. The whole class is.”

 

“Yeah, but this footage is going to be needed to show Paris the truth,” Alya insisted, “They need to know she isn’t some victim; she’s mad at us for finding out who she really is. She doesn’t feel bad about what she’s done, just that she got caught.”

 

Marinette grabbed her arm as she went to head out the door, “Alya, this isn’t the same as other akumas; she’ll be after you.”

 

Alya looked at her friend seriously, “Yeah, but if she isn’t after me, she’ll come after you.”

 

She placed her hands on Marinette’s shoulders, “Stay here where she can’t find you.”

 

“Alya—” Marinette cried after her friend.

 

“I’ll be fine,” Alya called over her shoulder.

 

Nino gave Marinette a reassuring smile, “I’ll make sure she stays out of sight.” He disappeared out the door after his girlfriend.

 

“Now what do we do?” Rose asked worriedly, “Alix is right; Lila’s probably going to be coming after us.”

 

“There’s a ninety-seven chance she’ll target us,” Max stated.

 

“So what do we do?” Mylene fretted.

 

As her classmates panicked among themselves, Marinette looked at the exit anxiously.

 

‘ _I have to get out of here,’_ she thought, mind racing. Her eyes flitted to the door again, _‘I’ll never get by them without them noticing me.’_

 

A piercing whistle split the air.

 

“Alright, listen up!” Chloe ordered, hands on her hips, “What we need is a plan. Seeing as how none of you are stepping up to the plate, I guess it’s up to me.”

 

She pointed at the door, “Everyone, we’re heading three doors down. This classroom is going to be the first place she looks; if we’re somewhere else, that will make us harder to find and buy us time.”

 

When no one moved she slammed a hand on her desk, “Move it!”

 

Everyone made a beeline for the door, trying not to crowd the doorway while simultaneously trying to get out as fast as possible.

 

“Think Alya and Nino will be okay?” Adrien questioned.

 

“I hope so,” Marinette answered.

 

Marinette was almost out the door, right after Adrien and Sabrina when a hand clamped down on her forearm and yanked her back.

 

“Chloe!” Marinette yelped, steadying herself, “What are you doing? Everyone’s waiting for us.”

 

“Never mind them,” Chloe said, peering out into the hall. She closed the door with a click before turning to the bluenette.

 

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Chloe said, striding over to poke Marinette firmly in the chest, “But shouldn’t you be transforming? You’ve got an akuma to purify.”

 

Marinette’s eyes widened, her mouth going dry.

 

“...What?”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, I love cliffhangers. Get your readers balls in a strangle hold and force them to come back, lol. 
> 
> I see a lot of fics where Marinette either forgives her classmates right away without any grievance or never forgives them at all. To me, both border on the extreme. Marinette has every right to stand up for herself and be salty, but the Marinette we know is kind by nature. I think rather than hold a grudge OR forgive and forget, Marinette would be more likely to take the middle ground and explain to everyone WHY their actions hurt her. She wasn't asking that people side with her, nor does she believe all that she's done for them means they are obligated to side wit her; she just wanted to know that she meant enough to them to not be written off as petty the minute she wasn't agreeable to something. She can't be expected to go along with everything with positive vibes and rainbows; the first time she expresses discontent to something others want shouldn't mean people thinking the worst of her and not letting her be entitled to her feelings. 
> 
> So, as this chapter covers (as do several discussions in the comments of the previous chapter), imo Onii-chan shed light on the true nature of Lila. Before Chameleon, one could argue that her actions as an akuma were not her own due to Hawkmoth's influence (though Heroes Day makes this questionable as she welcomed the akuma that came for her if I recall). So for a while, people defending her could chalk up much of her antagonism of occurring during a time where no one is usually held accountable for their actions, as an akuma. They could argue that she lied because she wanted to be liked, that maybe she was lonely or insecure. And being embarrassed in front of a cute guy by someone more popular than you (Ladybug) would probably humiliate any girl that age. 
> 
> But then Chameleon came along and she willingly sought out an akuma just to get back at people,one of which was Adrien because he dared politely ask her to be honest for a change. That already showed her poor moral character. 
> 
> What sealed the deal as a terrible person were her actions in Onii-chan. As a normal citizen who wasn't akumatized at the time, Lila negotiated the defeat of Ladybug. She was willing to endanger Ladybug just to get back at her for the Adrien incident. Wanting someone hurt or maimed is already pretty awful, but willing working with a super villain takes the cake. The horn indicated she was telling the truth; nothing matters to her more than destroying Ladybug. Keep in mind she has no idea that Hakwmoth's plans pertain to reviving his wife; as far as Lila is concerned he's just a villain wanting absolute power to rule the world. And she was willing to potentially put all of Paris at risk and at the mercy of him without a hero if it meant getting back at the girl who embarrassed her. How warped is that?!
> 
> Review please ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! Glad you all could make it. 
> 
> Seriously, folks, you guys are blowing me away with how many reviews I've gotten for this story. We're pushing 300 reviews with this story. I can't believe how much support it's getting. You are all so awesome!
> 
> I am loving all the theories you guys are throwing around for the akuma, the whos and hows. 
> 
> Normally I do lengthy author notes up top but this time we're just going to get right into the sticky of it.

* * *

“W-what?” Marinette stammered.

 

“You heard me,” Chloe replied, “Why aren’t you transforming? Paris needs you.”

 

Both stood in silence for a minute, one stunned speechless, the other waiting expectantly.

 

“Ha ha,” Marinette laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head, “Good one Chloe. Me, transform? Like some sort of superhero? That’s a laugh.”

 

Chloe folded her arms across her chest, “Let’s get one thing straight here, Dupain-Cheng; just because I have Sabrina do my homework doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

 

“I-I never said you were,” Marinette appeased, backing up cautiously for every step Chloe took forward.

 

“I’m far smarter than any of you give me credit for,” Chloe continued, “I may be blond, but I’m not a ‘dumb blond’.”

 

She glanced at Marinette, “Your miraculous is those earrings, right? No wonder you wear them with literally everything. I just thought you were terrible at accessorizing.”

 

“C-Chloe, I really don’t have any clue what you’re talking about,” Marinette denied.

 

Chloe tsked, “Suuure you don’t.”

 

“It took me a little to put it all together,” Chloe went on, “That voice on the recording…”

 

Marinette froze.

 

“Sabrina may not have been able to figure it out,” Chloe explained, “And I doubt anyone else in class could. But then again, they’ve never met a kwami like I have.”

 

Marinette shot a nervous look towards the door, “Chloe, I really think we should be hiding with the others. Now’s not the time for jokes, you know?”

 

Chloe shook her head, “For a while, I couldn’t place what made that voice stand out to me. There’s was just something so…not normal about how high pitched it was. But then I thought about it; a high squeaky voice and they know a thing or two about warding off akumas...”

 

She got closer to Marinette, three words falling from her lips in staccato, “Just. Like. Pollen...”

 

“P-Pollen?” Marinette squeaked, “Who’s that? Sure not anybody I know.”

 

“Cut the crap,” Chloe ordered, rummaging through her purse for something. She pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and unceremoniously shoved it into Marinette’s face, “Look familiar?”

 

Marinette had to take a step back to actually see what Chloe was showing her, but when she did her eyes went wide.

 

There, drawn crudely and poorly in red and black, was a rough sketch of Tikki.

 

“That ‘doll’ I brought to Prince Ali,” Chloe said, making quotation marks with her fingers, “looks suspiciously like a kwami, doesn’t it. Red with black spots? That’s what Ladybug’s kwami would look like, right?”

 

She leaned forward, poking Marinette in the chest, “You said that ‘doll’ was yours and you seemed absolutely terrified that I had it.”

 

“So Ladybug,” Chloe said, “Ready to come clean?”

 

Marinette stared unsurely are the snobby girl.

 

Chloe sighed, rolling her eyes, “Look, I’m not going to tell anyone. I’d be stupid to rat out Paris’s only hope. So just quit the act and come clean already. Your performance is hardly convincing anyway.”

 

There was the sound of a zipper coming undone, both girls looking to the purse at Marinette’s side.

 

Tikki’s peered out of the purse, large blue eyes watching Chloe warily.

 

Chloe’s eyes softened at the sight of the kwami, “So you’re Ladybug’s kwami.”

 

“Tikki,” the kawmi introduced herself, flying up to hover between the two girls, “And you’re the girl who bullies Marinette so much.”

 

Chloe sighed again and looked away, a hint of shame working it’s way onto her face.

 

“It’s not like I knew she was Ladybug,” she defended.

 

Tikki frowned heavily, little arms folded across her tiny body, “It shouldn’t matter who she is. It’s still wrong.”

 

Chloe groaned, throwing her hands up, “Yes, I get it! I already had the class essentially talk like I’m the devil.”

 

“I was wrong,” Chloe said simply, arms crossed stubbornly, “I’m not going to say it again. Can we move on?”

 

Tikki regarded Chloe carefully. Finally she sniffed, “I suppose that’s the best I could hope for.”

 

Chloe snorted.

 

“Let’s try this again,” she said. She held out her hand awkwardly, not exactly sure how to handle this, “I’m Chloe.”

 

Tikki grabbed hold of one of Chloe’s fingers with both her arms and shook it up and down in greeting, “Tikki.”

 

Marinette watched the exchanged, dumbfounded.

 

“So…” Chloe asked after some time, “How’s Pollen.”

 

Tikki’s stern expression faded, replaced by a soft, gentle smile.

 

“She’s fine,” Tikki said kindly, “She misses you.”

 

Chloe nodded, her jaw set stiff as she looked away, blinking back a glimmer of tears.

 

“Anyway,” she said, clapping her hands, “Enough with introductions. There’s an akuma to purify and I’m sure that mangey cat is already out there getting thrown around like a ragdoll.”

 

She eyed Marinette, “Best get to it, bakery girl.”

 

“This is weird,” Marinette said, finally finding her voice, “This is weird, right? I mean, of course it’s weird. But this is like…sooo weird.”

 

“Marinette,” Chloe barked, snapping her fingers, “Focus. You can have your mini freak out later. Right now you’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

 

“Chloe, this is very important,” Marinette cautioned, approaching Chloe like she was trying to avoid pissing off a tiger, “You can’t tell anybody about this.”

 

Chloe glared at her.

 

“I know that,” she snapped, annoyed, “Do you take me for some sort of idiot?”

 

“Well I mean…” Marinette shifted uneasily, “You _did_ reveal your identity without a care.”

 

“Because it was _my_ identity,” Chloe stated firmly, “It’s my choice to make. But I wouldn’t go blowing the whistle on another superhero all over Paris. I’d be just as bad as Cesaire.”

 

Chloe sniffed disdainfully, “I’ve been saying how cool Ladybug is for months. If everyone found out it was clumsy Dupain-Cheng, I’d look like a fool.”

 

Marinette fought off a scowl, biting down the irritation welling within her.

 

“That’s so mature of you, Chloe,” she ground out through a smile of gritted teeth.

 

Chloe flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, “I know. It’s part of what makes me so amazing.”

 

“So…you’ll keep it a secret?” Marinette asked hesitantly.

 

Chloe scoffed, “Of course. It’s not like I want it getting around that I know Ladybug’s secret identity anyway; Hawkmoth would be all over me. Unlike Lila, _I’m_ not so dumb as to claim I’m friends with your civilian identity.”

 

“You’re doing the right thing, Chloe,” Tikki said encouragingly, “Being Queen Bee really did help make you a better person.”

 

Chloe seemed to be trying her hardest not to show how much that statement meant to her, “Yeah, well I’m not Queen Bee anymore. Got to make Paris love Chloe Bourgeois as much as they loved Queen Bee.”

 

“Did they love Queen B—” Marinette started to asking with genuine confusion, before being shushed by Tikki.

 

Chloe brushed imaginary dust off her shirt, “As I said before, we don’t have time to mess around. Ladybug’s needed after all.”

 

“I’ll think up an alibi to tell the class for you,” she called back over her shoulder as she headed for the door, “You’re terrible at making your stories sound believable. Who the heck goes to the bathroom _every time_ a monster attacks?”

 

“Chloe, I don’t get it,” Marinette blurted out, “Why are you helping me? You _hate_ me!”

 

Chloe paused hand on the doorknob. She didn’t say anything for a few moments.

 

“I hate Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe said stiffly, “Not Ladybug.”

 

She looked back over her shoulder at the other girl, “I don’t trust easily; people are quick to let you down if there’s nothing for them to get out of it. Especially when you’re well connected.”

 

“Ladybug has had my trust from the beginning,” she went on, “I can count on her. She believes in me.”

 

“Imagine my surprise to find that the girl who should hate me is the one who trusted me enough to be a superhero,” Chloe said softly, refusing to look at Marinette, “Lila’s stories have got nothing on that.”

 

Without another word, she strode from the room, slamming it behind her.

 

Marinette stood in silence for several moments.

 

“Seriously, that was weird, right?” Marinette finally asked, turning to Tikki.

 

Tikki giggled, “I can see how it would be surprising.”

 

“Surprising?” Marinette bawked, “Try not expected in a million years!”

 

“She has to be working an angle,” Marinette surmised, smacking a fist into her palm, “It’s too out of character for her.”

 

Tikki simply smiled, “Is it, though?”

 

Marinette gawked at her, “Are you kidding me? It’s Chloe! When has she ever done something nice for me?”

 

“She defended you in class today,” Tikki pointed out.

 

Marinette snorted, “And didn’t that throw me for a loop! Seriously, Tikki, this is Chloe we’re talking about. She can’t stand me; if anything, she should be outraged that I’m the superhero she’s worshiped all this time.”

 

“And perhaps she was,” Tikki compromised, “But you heard her before she left: she recognizes that it was Marinette—not Ladybug—who trusted her with the Bee Miraculous.”

 

“No, I lost it and she found it,” Marinette clarified.

 

Tikki waved her little arms at her chosen encouragingly, “And who let her have it several times after getting it back?”

 

Marinette looked away, “...Ladybug...”

 

“No,” Tikki corrected, “Marinette. You’re still you in or out of the mask. Still Chloe’s biggest rival and target...and you asked for her help against Hawkmoth more than once.”

 

Marinette eyed her kwami carefully, “What are you getting at?”

 

Tikki smiled warmly at her chosen, “I’m saying that now that Chloe knows who Ladybug is, she knows it’s someone who has seen her at her absolute worst...and still saw good in her.”

 

Marinette looked away, shifting uncomfortably.

 

“Her own parents lack faith in her,” Tikki pushed on, “Her mother has made it abundantly clear that she is never surprised when Chloe fails to live up to expectations and her father is clearly too busy to pay enough attention to accomplishments or failures.”

 

Marinette listened quietly, thoughtful. It was true; Chloe’s mother was an absolute nightmare and it wasn’t so much that her father allowed her bratty behavior, so much as he was too busy to even notice how she behaved.

 

Tikki cast a sad look towards the door, “The class sees little worth redeeming in her and the only two people she honestly calls friends are Sabrina, a girl who enables her worst behavior, and Adrien, a boy who became her friend because she was literally the only person his age that he knew for years.”

 

She pressed her tiny, handless arms against Marinette’s cheek, “And then there’s you: the girl she treated the worst, who has every reason to think poorly of her, and you turned out to not only be her hero, but the one person who truly saw her as capable of something good.”

 

“I think that means more to Chloe than some random unknown superhero handing her a miraculous without knowing the real her,” Tikki finished.

 

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Marinette admitted, “I thought...that she’d be disappointed it was me.”

 

Tikki patted her chosen’s cheek, “Maybe she can’t put Ladybug on a pedestal anymore, but I think it means the world to her to know you don’t think the worst of her.”

 

Marinette fidgeted self consciously, tapping her pointer fingers together, “I mean...she isn’t the nicest person...but I figured...she trusts Ladybug so much she’d never do anything to let her down.”

 

“You trusted her,” Tikki reiterated, “You made her feel appreciated.”

 

“I guess I did...” Marinette agreed.

 

Another boom shook the school.

 

“We can think about this later,” Tikki advised, “For now it might be a good idea to deal with that akuma.”

 

Marinette nodded, “You’re right. We have to stop Lila.”

 

“Still,” she paused, “It’s strange that she hasn’t made to the classroom yet. This should be her first target and yet it sounds like she’s in the courtyard.”

 

“Marinette,” Tikk reminded, “Transform.”

 

Marinette flushed, “Right!”

 

“Tikki, Spots on!”

 

(page break)

 

“Everyone,” the terribly timid and out of his depth teacher called out to the arguing classroom, “Everyone, let’s settle down please.”

 

Someone hissed, shoving a student at a neighboring desk, “That was my foot!”

 

The student they’d shoved glared back at them, “Don’t look at me _. She’s_ the one who pushed me into you.”

 

Alix scowled at them both, “I only pushed you because you wouldn’t move. We need room for everyone in here.”

 

“Perhaps someone should explain this one more time,” the exasperated teacher requested, “Why are you all here? And where on earth is Madam Bustier?”

 

“She’s probably caught up in the akuma attack,” Max theorized, “One of our classmates was…well, outed for being dishonest—among other things, and brought to the Principal’s office. Madam Bustier went with her. Our classmate is most likely the akuma; she was pretty upset about being found out.”

 

Alix snorted, “As if she has any right to be upset. She’s the one in the wrong.”

 

The teacher looked between the two students in confusion, “So why are you all here?”

 

Alix and Max shifted guiltily, neither willing to answer.

 

“Because chances are, it’s us Lila’s pissed off at,” Ivan said bluntly, “She’s been fooling us all for weeks and messing with one of our friends, so she wasn’t too happy when we found out the truth and called her on it.”

 

“Wait, Lila?” someone asked, “As in Lila Rossi?”

 

Mylene nodded, “Yeah, that girl.”

 

The classroom descended into a frenzy of curious whispers.

 

“Isn’t that the girl who knows Jagged Stone?”

 

“And Ladybug?”

 

“Yeah, that’s what I heard. The Ladyblog says she’s Ladybug’s best friend.”

 

“Did they say she lied?”

 

“That can’t be. Who would make up so much stuff?”

 

“It is true,” Nathaniel stated, “Lila’s mom came in and outed her after she saw all the things Lila said in her interviews for the Ladyblog. Nothing she said was true.”

 

Juleka nodded, “And she’s been bullying Marinette behind our backs.”

 

More whispering from the class.

 

“Marinette? That girl from the bakery?”

 

“She’s their class rep, right?”

 

“But she’s so nice!”

 

“Isn’t she that spazz that can’t go two feet without falling down?”

 

That last comment was met with a wadded up paper sent hurtling at the person’s head, courtesy of Alix.

 

“Don’t listen to them, Marinette,” Rose said fiercely. She paused, expecting a response and getting none, “Marinette?”

 

“So wait,” a tall boy in the front row said, “If Lila’s mad at all of you, why come here? You’ll only make us a target too.”

 

“That’s right,” a short brunette cried.

 

“We’re sitting ducks now!” someone else said.

 

The teacher raised his hands in placation, “Class, pleases. Let’s try and discuss this civilly.”

 

“The hell with civil,” a redheaded boy in the third row said with a glare, “Make them find somewhere else to hide.”

 

“Yeah, make them leave,” another student shouted.

 

“Why don’t you leave,” Kim challenged.

 

The girl glared at him, “It’s _our_ class!”

 

“Marinette?” Rose called, weaving through the students around her, “Marinette?”

 

“Is she here?” Juleka asked, following her friend.

 

Around them, the two classes continued to argue.

 

“They’re putting us all in danger,” one girl cried, pointing at Bustier’s class.

 

Her friend nodded, “Yeah, they should hide somewhere else!”

 

“We can’t go out there, there’s an akuma!” Mylene insisted.

 

“Yeah, that’s mad at you guys, not us!” someone yelled back at her.

 

Ivan took a menacing step forward.

 

The teacher clapped his hands, “That’s quite enough, class! Now everyone calm down. An akuma is an emergency and it is every teacher's responsibility to ensure the safety of every student in their care. That being said, I can’t very well send these students out with an akuma about. Now everyone make room; we’ll settle in here until Ladybug and Chat Noir take care of things.”

 

“Marinette!” Rose continued to call over the din, “Answer me!”

 

“I don’t see her anywhere,” Juleka exclaimed worriedly.

 

The class was in an uproar.

 

“But they’re the ones the akuma is after,” a student beseeched their teacher, “They said so themselves. Why should we be put in danger for them?”

 

The teacher stared admonishingly down at the girl, “Young lady, emergency drills have always instructed on the importance of protecting and sheltering any and all students out in the halls during an emergency.”

 

“Yeah, but that’s for school shooters and stuff,” another student interjected, “Not for super powered magical monsters that can turn you into glitter.”

 

“Or float you into space,” someone else in the room cried.

 

“Marinette!” Rose continued to look for her friend.

 

One student glared at Alix, “Or erase you from existence!”

 

Kim and Nathanial stepped in front of Alix defensively, but the shorter girl just shoved them aside to shoot the boy a dirty look.

 

“I can fight my own battles,” she assured her friends before pointing at the boy, “Half the school has been akumatized against their will, so don’t go treating me or anyone else here like some kind of monster.”

 

Adrien worked his way over to Rose and Juleka, “Guy’s what’s wrong?”

 

“Oh Adrien, it’s terrible!” Rose wailed, “She’s not here, she’s not here!”

 

Their classmates continued to argue with the other class.

 

“Alix is right,” Mylene said, “We didn’t ask to be akumatized and we certainly didn’t ask to be targeted by whatever Lila’s turned into.”

 

“Calm down, Rose,” Adrien soothed, “Who’s not here?”

 

“Your class practically asks for akumas to chase them,” someone shouted, “You have Chloe in your class!”

 

Max frowned, “It’s hardly our fault she picks on people.”

 

“Chloe?” Rose looked around, her face crumbling more into worry and grief, “She’s not here either!”

 

Adrien reared back, alarmed, “What do you mean?”

 

The fighting was growing louder as things became more heated.

 

“What if this akuma comes for all of us now, huh?” a shorted haired boy asked from the back, “You’ve doomed us all.”

 

“She doesn’t know where we are, stupid!’ Alix glowered, “That’s the whole reason we moved several classes over; so she doesn’t know where to look.”

 

“You guys, hang on!” Adrien called out to his class, “Listen—”

 

A curly haired girl interrupted him, “Well what if she starts checking all the classrooms? Then we’ll be sitting ducks.”

 

“You guys—”

 

“So we should just let the akuma have us?” Kim asked, “Our safety matters too.”

 

“Not when you’re at fault,” someone snarked.

 

Kim flushed red with anger, “Why you—“

 

“Everyone quiet!” Adrien yelled.

 

Both classes went silent, stunned that the normally cheerful, polite model raised his voice so angrily at them.

 

Adrien took a deep breath.

 

“Rose was saying something,” he told everyone calmly before turning his attention back to the blonde girl, “What is it, Rose?”

 

Rose’s lip quivered, the doe eyed girl turning her gaze to her classmates before dissolving into tears, “Marinette’s not here!”

 

Instantly, her classmates flew into a panic.

 

“What?” Mylene gasped, horrified. She searched the crowd frantically.

 

Ivan used his height to see over the tops of everyone’s heads, “I don’t see her.”

 

“Chloe’s not here either,” Rose said tearfully, “Both of them are missing!”

 

Sabrina whirled around, mortified that she’d missed her best friend’s absence in the chaos, “But she was right behind me. Her and Marinette both were.”

 

Alix and Max rushed to the door, peering through the window.

 

“They aren’t in the hall,” Alix said.

 

Nathanial wrung his hands, “Do you think they’re hiding together?”

 

“What if the akuma got them?!” Rose exclaimed in fear. She rushed for the door, “We have to go find them!”

  
“Woah, now!” a boy from the front row leaped forward, knocking Alix to the ground. He slammed his hand on the door just as Rose reached for the handle, “If you go out there now, you’ll alert the akuma to where we are.”

 

Rose tugged fretfully on the doorknob, tears welling in her eyes.

 

“Let go,” she pleaded, “Someone has got to help them.”

 

The boy would not be moved, grabbing Rose by the shirt to try and pull her off, “That’s the superheroes’ job.”

 

“Let her go,” Juleka ordered, coming to her friend’s aid.

 

“I will when she lets go of the door,” the boy countered.

 

Rose pulled at the door with all her might, growing more distressed by the second.

 

"They need us," she tearfully told Juleka, "We hurt Marinette by not trusting her.  And now Lila's going to hurt her worse.  A-and Chloe...she was only trying to help and we just kept picking at her faults."

 

Several of her classmates shuffled their feet, ashamed. 

 

Kim scratched the back of his neck, "We did sort of dog pile on her.  Lila was the bad guy and we kept comparing her and Chloe."

 

The boy blocking the door snorted, rolling his eyes, "And I'm sure you can all have a big kiss and cry over it later.  But right now, Blondie needs to get off the door."

 

Alix dragged herself up off the floor, rushing forward to shove the boy, “Back off! Rose is right; Marinette and Chloe could be in trouble.”

 

“Then that’s their problem!” the boy glared back.

 

As the classroom descended into shouts of anger and pushing, no one noticed the blonde that slipped out.

 

 

{page break}

 

“This is terrible, Plagg,” Adrien fretted, racing through the halls, “What if the class is right? What if Lila did get them?”

 

Plagg glided alongside Adrien, not looking the least bit concerned, “Relax, kid. I’m sure pigtails will be fine.”

 

“She’s a civilian,” Adrien hissed, rounding the corner and darting into a broom closet, “She could be hurt; they both could. Chloe isn’t Queen Bee anymore; she won’t be able to protect herself, let alone Marinette.”

 

Adrien paced the closet, “Chloe, she’s good at taking care of herself. She’s crafty, authoritative. Chances are she found a place to lie low. But Marinette is Lila’s primary target, no matter how much Chloe taunted Lila. Marinette is the one she’d be after most.”

 

“You don’t give pigtails enough credit,” Plagg replied, “She’s a smart cookie. Trust me, your little girlfriend will be fine.”

 

Adrien nearly tripped over his own feet.

 

“S-she’s just a friend!” he stammered, gawking at the little black kwami, “I’m just worried about her as a friend.”

 

Plagg rolled his eyes, “Suuuuure you are.”

 

Adrien glared at him.

 

Plagg snickered; his chosen was so much fun to tease.

 

Plagg sighed, floating away, “Okay, Mr. Denial. Let’s focus. You can’t save your not-girlfriend if you don’t transform.”

 

Adrien nodded, “You’re right. We have no idea what powers Lila has this time. Ladybug is going to need all the help she can get.”

 

“Exactly,” Plagg agreed, “So give me some cheese and hop to it!”

 

Adrien sighed, grumbling as he handed over a little piece of camembert cheese.

 

“Hurry up,” he pleaded, “Who knows what Lila will do to Marinette.”

 

Plagg burped, crumbs stuck to his face, “You’re really worried, huh?”

 

Adrien nodded, “You heard that recording, Plagg. Lila clearly has it out for Marinette. And I doubt she’s too keen on Chloe right now either since Chloe outed her for that.”

 

He frowned, listening to the noise outside, “It’s weird that she hasn’t headed for the classroom yet. I would have thought that would be the first place Lila looked.”

 

“That liar does seem to hate pigtails,” Plagg conceded, “Enough to nearly get your friend akumatized.”

 

Adrien grimaced, “Yeah, that would have been terrible. Marinette doesn’t deserve that. If she hadn’t managed to ward it off…”

 

He paused, a thought occurring to him.

 

“Plagg…that other voice on the recording…”

 

Plagg choked on his cheese, going deathly still, “Y-yeah? What about it?”

 

Adrien screwed up his face in thought, “It’s weird…I get the feeling that I’ve heard it before. But I haven’t right?”

 

“Nope!” Plagg answered, perhaps a bit too quickly, “Not that I can recall.”

 

Inside he was panicking. From what he could gather, he and Tikki probably both spoke to Adrien and Marinette while they all had no memories during the Oblivo incident. Plagg himself recalled nothing from that day, so there was no possible way Adrien did, even on a sub conscious level…right?

 

“Then why did it sound so familiar?” Adrien pressed.

 

Plagg shoved the last of his cheese into his mouth in lieu of an answer.

 

“How should I know?” he mumbled out between bites, “It’s not like I recognize that voice. Nope, not a bit!”

 

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the tiny god, “…Plagg…”

 

Another crash; the building shook, prompting the pair to peek out the closet.

 

Just outside the hall windows, a red and black polka dotted blur swung by.

 

“No time,” Plagg urged hurriedly, “Looks like your lady needs you.”

 

“Right!” Adrien agreed, determination filling his eyes, “Plagg, claws out!”

 

‘ _Don’t worry, Marinette,’_ he thought, _‘I’ll save you.’_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's that for a chapter? 
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing Chloe in this chapter. To me, I think Chloe would be secretly touched and deeply affected to know that the person who trusted her to help Paris on more than one occasion is the same person she tormented for years. Marinette has every right to think the worst of Chloe and yet she still sought to see some good in her, some hope for improvement. That has to hit Chloe in the feels. Not even her own mother sees the good in her sometimes and her father doesn't even have a clue what she does and therefore doesn't know about her poor behavior for the most part. Her butler and Sabrina know her the best and I'm sure to some degree she worries that their concern and love for her is only because they are paid to do so or because they get perks for being her friend. 
> 
> So to have Marinette be the hero Chloe idolizes and the hero who trusted her must leave Chloe very conflicted. All the traits she admires in Ladybug--the selflessness, the bravery, the compassion, that magnetic personality--are the same things Chloe envies in Marinette that drive her to bully the girl. 
> 
> The class was fun to write here too. The way I see it, apologies aren't enough to make up for taking someone so giving for granted. Actions speak louder than words and the people of Paris--people who know Marinette included--have demonstrated before that they are brave enough to stand up to Hawkmoth when the time calls for it. So to me it is completely believable that the class might go from flight mode to fight mode when someone they care for is in danger. Especially Rose; I mean, she carried Chloe to safety during an akuma attack once. Girl is a super in her own right.
> 
> A few of you were curious how Adrien remembers Tikki's voice when he hasn't spoken to her. Well he has...he just can't remember it. I like to think that the Oblivio incident isn't completely stripped from our two heroes minds. They are protected from a lot of magic related things, so it's possible that on some sub conscious level, Adrien remembers Tikki talking to him while their memories were affected by Oblivio. Hence the familiarity with Tikki's voice. 
> 
> Some of you are probably also wondering why Alya and Nino are recognizing the voice like Chloe did and comparing it to their own experience with Kwamis. Well Chloe has extra help in that she has actually seen Tikki, she just didn't know at that the time that she was holding a kwami. I think that at some point, Chloe would begin to think about how Pollen looks similar to the 'doll' Marinette dropped that Chloe gave to Ali. And question why a ladybug themed toy was so important to Marinette. 
> 
> Review please :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone. 
> 
> Guys, you're really killing me here. Seriously, all these reviews are amazing. Truly mind blowing that so many of you are tuning in for this so avidly. 
> 
> Loving how the Chloe segment was so well received. I was hoping people would like how I've broken down her character. The girl has potential to be someone better than she is, but she's probably had her mother doubting her abilities her whole life. When people don't believe in you, you tend to stop seeing the point in trying.
> 
> As for the other class. I know they seem like total assholes, but keep in mind that Bustier's class is the most akumatized class in school and that Chloe has caused the most akumatizations. Given the prevalence of attacks happening in or around that class, I imagine other students would be wary of being around them when shit hits the fan, since Bustier's class has the highest chance of being targets for the akumas when it comes to revenge. So I think a little wariness is warranted, especially since some of these akuma victims powers have been more dangerous than they are given credit for, like being erased from existence or sent into the oxygen-less vacuum of space. 
> 
> Now on with the show. I think some of you will enjoy the akuma.

* * *

“Fancy meeting you here, m’lady,” Chat greeted cheekily as he landed next to her on the balcony railing that overlooked the school courtyard.

 

Ladybug resisted the urge to roll her eyes, fighting back the quirk at the corner of her lips, “Yes Chaton, how very unexpected to see you at an akuma attack. Truly the last place I’d think to see you.”

 

“So you think of me?” Chat asked smugly, “I’m flattered.”  He tried to keep his voice light and carefree, but his eyes scanned the courtyard warily. 

 

'Where are you, Marinette?' he wondered. 

 

“Try to deflate the ego a bit, Kitty,” Ladybug quipped wryly.  she noticed he wasn't quite looking at her.

 

"Something got you distracted, Chaton?" she asked.

 

Chat shook his head, "No, just...checking to see how many people have been attacked yet."

 

“Well get your head in the game, Kitty," Ladybug chided, "We have an akuma to deal with right now.”

 

Chat nodded, glancing around the courtyard, “Any sign of her—or whoever it is?” He cringed; best not to let Ladybug know he was familiar with the students at this school. She’d probably get mad at him for unintentionally dropping a hint of his identity.

 

Ladybug seemed not to catch his slip, shaking her head as she scanned the crowd, “I haven’t seen them yet, but I think I have a pretty good idea who it is.”

 

A blast echoed through the courtyard, coming from the furthest door to the outside. Several students and teachers ran through the doorway screaming and ducking for cover as the large double doors literally blasted off their hinges.

 

“Come out,” sang a sinister, familiar voice, “I’ll find you...”

 

A figure sauntered through the door, obscured by the smoke and dust caused by their destruction. As the smoke cleared, a grinning, painted face stared out at them.

 

“I knew it,” Ladybug muttered, “Lila.”

 

Face painted up like a Venetian mask, complete with dark glittering lips, black around the eyes and elegant golden orange filigree trailing across their brows and cheeks, the akuma looked like a cross between a masquerade outfit and a harlequin.

 

A large ruffled collar circled their neck, resting just above a red, orange, and yellow diamond patterned corset top. The sleeves were puffed up at the shoulders like a jester, but trailed tightly down the arms like a second skin before opening up in ruffled sleeves one would find on a lady of an old royal court.

 

The large, voluminous layered skirt was something straight out of an old french aristocratic film but was dramatically shorter in the front and long in the back, showing just above the knees to reveal a poofy pair of jester’s trousers ending in curly toed, high heeled shoes.

 

“That...is the worst villain design yet,” Ladybug stated bluntly, “She should be insulted that’s Hakwmoth stuck her in that getup.”

 

Chat Noir chuckled, “The guy just does not seem to have a knack for fashion.”

 

He turned to Ladybug, “By the way, how did you know it was going to be Lila?”

 

“O-oh, uh...I ran into Alya when I first got here,” Ladybug answered quckly. Chat was completely oblivious to how her mind was racing to come up with an explanation on the spot, “She filled me in; they just had some trouble in their class with her. Apparently she was finally exposed and she didn’t take it well.”

 

“Not surprising,” Chat grumbled, “She lies as much as she breathes.”

 

They watched as the akuma confidently strode across the courtyard, yellow eyes flitting about as she sought her prey.

 

“She better not have hurt her…” Chat muttered.

 

Ladybug looked at him curiously, “Hurt who?”

 

The Lila-akuma finally set her sights on the superhero pair.

 

“Ah, Ladybug, Chat Noir, come to lose?” she asked silkily.

 

Ladybug jumped down from the railing landing in the courtyard, “As if, Lila.”

 

Unlike many akuma, Lila did not try to deny her former self. She just stood there smirking.

 

“Are you sure,” she asked, “It would make things so much easier for you. And no one would have to get hurt.”

 

“Forgive me for my skepticism, but neither you nor Hawkmoth strike me as ones for mercy,” Ladybug said sardonically, “So tell me, what’s Hawkmoth come up with for a name for,” she grimaced, gesturing to the garish outfit, “all of this?”

 

Lila simply smiled wickedly, opening her arms up wide, “You like? He took my ideas in consideration; I’ve worked alongside so many famous fashion designers you know.”

 

Her grin falter, one eyes twitching as she jerked suddenly. Glaring over her shoulder, she composed herself and looked back at the super duo.

 

“As for my name,” Lila went on as if nothing had happened, “Hawkmoth calls me Façade. Rolls off the tongue, don’t you think?”

 

“It certainly fits you,” Chat Noir said, landing besides his lady, “All you ever do is wear a mask. And I can’t say any of them have ever improved your rotten personality.”

 

Ladybug turned to Chat, surprised; he sounded unusually harsh this time. Sure during Onichan, Lila had truly worn on Chat’s nerves, but he sounded so...cold this time.

 

Façade placed a hand over her heart, feigning sadness, “You hurt me, Chat. It isn’t really fair to judge someone in a mask when you wear one yourself.”

 

“Ours were hardly by choice,” Chat snapped, shooting a meaningful glance at his partner, “We have to hide ourselves in order to protect those closest to us.”

 

He glared at Façade, “You only ever put on a mask to hurt people. Now tell me, where is Marinette?”

 

Ladybug gawked in surprise. Why was Chat looking for her civilian self?

 

“Marinette?” Façade asked sourly, clicking her tongue, “That little pest? Haven’t seen her.”

 

Chat’s lip curled back in a snarl, “You’re lying.”

 

“How cruel,” Façade cooed, holding her face in her hands, her long, dagger-like fingers cradling her face.

 

Ladybug squinted. Was it her imagination, or did Lila’s hands have more than one set of thumbs?

 

“I’m actually telling the truth,” Façade admitted, “I haven’t had the pleasure of finding her yet. But I will, and when I do I’ll teach that little brat a lesson for crossing me.”

 

Chat took out his baton, glaring with hatred at Façade, “You stay away from her.”

 

“Sorry, no can do,” Façade said simply, “She has to pay for sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong.”

 

Chat growled, “How dare you blame any of this on her. You brought this all on yourself by hurting people.”

 

“Hurting people? I’ve never done anything to anyone,” Lila-kuma stated with a sinister smile, “Didn’t you know? I’m the victim here; my class cast me out so unfairly. And it’s all Marinette’s fault. She manipulated them.”

 

She spread her hands out, calling to the onlookers peering through the windows and peeking around doorways, “I was unfairly targeted by my wicked classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She lied and bullied me until I lost all my friends. That’s why I was akumatized.”

 

Chat looked positively murderous, “Why you—”

 

Another twitch, an ugly snarl tearing across Façade’s face.

 

“N-no...” she bit out, clenching her fists.

 

Chat and Ladybug exchanged confused glances.

 

“Something wrong over there, Façade?” Ladybug ventured.

 

Lila turned her snarl to Ladybug, “Of course not! Everything’s fine.”

 

She straightened her features, “And why wouldn’t it be? I’ll win back my class soon enough. Everyone loves me; they can’t help it. I tell them what they want to hear. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

 

Her face screwed up again, the akuma curling over on herself with a groan.

 

“N-not...now...” she ground out, clutching her head.

 

Ladybug took a cautious step forward, “What’s...going o—”

 

Her question ended in a startled yelp when Lila’s head abruptly twisted around and revealed someone else’s face on the back of it.

 

Chat jumped back in horror, “What the—!”

 

“Stop this at once!” came a woman’s voice from the face. At second glance it was less a mere face on the back of Façade’s head and actually two heads conjoined together from the back of their scalps and necks.

 

“I will not have such treachery!” the second head declared, “This lying, this deceit...why must you act so dishonestly?!”

 

Chat stared, dumbstruck, “Is that...Mrs Rossi?”

 

Ladybug stood there stunned, “I know Hawkmoth can akumatized two people together. He did it to Alya and Nino to make Oblivio. But this is beyond strange.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Chat agreed, watching the akuma’s two heads argue with each other, “They’re not in-sync at all.”

 

“Which makes me wonder what Hawkmoth was thinking,” Ladybug remarked, pulling out her yo-yo, “Even if they both had useful negative emotions for him to exploit, their anger is clearly the polar opposite from each other. Lila’s upset she got caught; her mother is upset her daughter is a liar. The feelings conflict too much for them to form a cohesive akuma.”

 

Facade’s Lila head growled in frustration, twisting back to the front end of the body and shoving her mother’s to the back, “Why can’t you just stay out of this? You’re getting in my way!”

 

“Why can’t you take responsibility for your actions?” the Mrs. Rossi head countered, the head’s going sideways as they both fought to go to the front side of their shared body. It looked weird to see one body taking part in two sides of a disagreement. The arms kept jerking in wild gestures for each head’s words. Occasionally a foot stamped or impatiently tapped it’s foot.

 

Getting a good look at the hands, it seemed that each hand did indeed have two sets of thumbs, as well as no fingernails. Both sides of the hands acted as both top and palm, the fingers curling over to one side or the other to do things like clench a fist or point depending on which head was talking. It was as bizarre as it was unsettling.

 

One hand reached to try to cover Mrs. Rossi’s mouth only for the other hand to slap the first away.

 

“Just shut...up!” Lila’s head yelled, “I told you to stay out of my way.”

 

A purple butterfly mask appeared over her face, making her grit her teeth.

 

“I’m trying,” she snarled to seemingly no one, “But she’s making things difficult!”

 

The mask appeared over Mrs. Rossi’s face, the woman’s features screwing up as if in pain, “N-no! I will not stop. She betrayed my trust, lied to me. All this time, she hasn’t been who I thought she was.”

 

The purple glow of the mask grew brighter, the akuma dropping to one knee as both heads groaned in pain.

 

Lila cradled her head in their hands, “Don’t take this out on me; she’s the one causing trouble!”

 

“Get out of my head,” Mrs. Rossi demanded, taking control of one hand to slap at the side of her head as if to dislodge something, “Get out! She must be punished...she must learn her lesson!”

 

She brought their shared hands up, a pale blue glow emanating from them. Every move a battle in and of itself, she strained to point the glow down towards the other head.

 

“No!” Lila screamed out, regaining control of the limbs at the last minute. Throwing the hands out in a random direction, the glow shot off towards one cranny of the courtyard, a group of students hiding there shrieking in alarm.

 

“Look out!” Ladybug shouted, dashing towards the students, but it was too late.

 

One boys took the full brunt of the blast, getting knocked off her feet and into the wall.

 

“David!” his friends screamed in horror, rushing to him, “David, as you alright?”

 

The boy, David, sat up from his slumped position on the floor.

 

“David?” one of his friends tried again.

 

David looked down at himself, pulling at the basketball jersey he wore.

 

“I...I hate basketball!” he cried suddenly, tugging the jersey off, “I wish I’d never joined the team!”

 

His friends blinked, leaning back in surprise and confusion.

 

“What are you talking about?” one of them asked.

 

“I only joined the team to please my dad,” David confessed, “I wanted to join the school theatre group, but he sad only gay guys do theatre. I know I act like some big jock, but I hate it. I don’t even like sports.”

 

The Lila head sneered at the display.

 

“See what you’ve done,” she tsked, “Listen to him snivel. He was far more interesting when he was pretending to be someone he’s not.”

 

Façade’s other head shook back and forth in disagreement, “No, he’s happier this way. He’s his true self now; he can’t trick others into believing something a lie anymore. You’d be better off that way too!”

 

“I’d rather die!” the Lila head said snidely.

 

“Quick,” Ladybug whispered to her partner, “While she’s distracted.”

 

The pair snuck closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of where the akumatized object.

 

Unfortunately, a flicker of movement caught one of Façade’s two sets of eyes.

 

“Not so fast, Ladybug,” The Lila head, warned halting the heroine in her steps, “Sneaking up on me? Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s rude to attack while someone’s back is turned?”

 

“Considering all you do is strike when someone’s guard is down, that’s a bit hypocritical,” Ladybug snarked.

 

The Lila head smirked, “Doesn’t matter what I do; you’re supposed to be better than that. What would everyone think if you stooped to my level?”

 

Façade raised her hands, this time they glowed a sickly yellow.

 

“Let’s show everyone a side of Ladybug they’ve never seen!”

 

Façade threw her hands out, sending a blast of yellow light at Ladybug and Chat Noir, making the heroes leap out of the way.

 

“Stop it,” Mrs. Rossi’s head cried, trying to pull their mutual pair of hands back. She managed to use one hand to capture the other hand arm by the wrist, “What you’re doing is wrong!”

 

The Lila head growled, yanking the trapped hand free to slap at the other head, “Just shut up already, will you? You’re a nuisance.” She blasted another yellow beam at the superhero duo, missing them just barely.

 

“Why is it that wherever Lila is, trouble rears its ugly heads,” Chat asked, jumping behind a trash receptacle.

 

Ladybug rolled her eyes, crouched behind a support beam to the balcony, “Very funny, Kitty. Any chance you’ve seen anything that could be the akumatized object?”

 

Chat shook his head, wincing as another beam shot between them, “Afraid not. Can’t really think what sort of object they could have been holding together to both get akumatized.”

 

“Psst...” someone whispered, “Hey, Ladybug. Chat Noir, over here.”

 

Peering at them from around the doorway to one of the halls into the school were Alya and Nino.

 

“Come here a sec,” Alya said, waving them over.

 

Ladybug made to move forward, but hesitated. Façade’s Lila head was staring fixated at their side of the courtyard with both hands raised and glowing ominously, waiting for even an inch of them to poke out from their hiding place.

 

Alya glanced at Façade, realizing the same thing. Taking a huge breath she suddenly yelled out, “John Claude, what are you doing? Don’t be a hero! Don’t sneak up on the akuma!”

 

Façade whirled around, the Lila head glancing around menacingly while the other head continued to plead with her to behave.

 

“Now!” Alya whispered harshly to the heroes.

 

Ladybug and Chat quickly capitalized on Façade’s momentary distraction to dart through the door.

 

“Glad to see you two are okay,” Ladybug told the blogger and DJ.

 

Alya smiled, “You too. I was worried that—”

 

Chat cut her off, “Have you seen Marinette?”

 

Ladybug whipped around to face Chat, startled.

 

Alya blinked, surprised, “No? She should be hiding with our class inside the school somewhere.”

 

“Well she wasn’t,” Chat said sharply, “She’s missing.”

 

Ladybug frowned, “How do you know she’s missing?”

 

Chat looked away quickly, “Uh…that guy from her class told me. Blonde guy, does fashion stuff or something…”

 

Inwardly Chat cringed; Plagg had to be laughing in the ring at how flimsy his excuse was.

 

Ladybug perked up, “You spoke to Adrien?”

 

Chat nodded, “Um, yeah. He noticed she wasn’t with them and went to find her.”

 

“Adrien’s out here?!” Ladybug yelped, moving to head out the door, “He could get hurt.”

 

Chat grabbed her by the wrist, “Relax. He’s safe. I uh...took him to the boy’s locker room. Façade’s nowhere near there.”

 

He filed Ladybug concern for Adrien away for later, trying not to fanboy over it.

 

‘ _Ladybug cares about me,’_ he crowed in his head.

 

“Anyway, back to Marinette,” Chat exclaimed, “Have you two seen her?”

 

Alya shook her head, worrying coloring her features, “No. She was supposed to stay put with the class…I should go look for her,” she made to leave their hiding place.

 

Ladybug stopped her.

 

“That won’t be necessary,” she said hastily, “I just remembered. Uh…I passed Chloe on my way here.”

 

The others gave her a puzzled look.

 

“Chloe?” Chat asked, “Is she okay?”

 

Ladybug nodded, “She’s fine. She took Marinette somewhere safe. They’re going to wait out the akuma there.”

 

“But why were they not with the class?” Nino asked.

 

Ladybug shrugged, giving a weak grin, “Marinette had to use the bathroom?”

 

‘ _Chloe’s right,’_ she thought, _‘My excuses are lame.’_

 

Chat seemed to relax, “Oh…okay. All long as they’re alright. And we stop Façade before she finds them.”

 

“Mind filling us in on what’s happening?” Chat asked Alya and Nino, “How did the akuma get both of them?”

 

“Well we weren’t there when it happened,” Nino said, “But from what we heard from a few people, Lila came storming out of the school with her mom chasing after her. I think Lila ran out of the meeting she and her mom were in with the principal.”

 

Alya nodded before taking over, “From what people were saying though, right before Lila came out, an akuma had flown into the courtyard.”

 

“Probably drawn by all the bad emotions from her being found out,” Ladybug grumbled.

 

“Yeah,” Alya said, looking surprised, “How’d you know she was found out?”

 

Chat sent Ladybug a questioning glance, “I thought Alya was the one you said told you?

 

Ladybug blanched, “Uh...”

 

“You mean on the Ladyblog?” Alya asked, unaware of the tension between the heroes, “I’ve been livestreaming the attack and warning people about Lila. Is that where you heard about it?”

 

“Yes!” Ladybug agreed quickly, “Exactly!”

 

Chat continued to stare at her strangely so she made a point not to look at him.

 

Alya beamed, “I didn’t realize you followed my blog so closely! I mean, I know you’ve said you read it, but hearing that you use it for akuma attack info is just...wow. Talk about flattering!”

 

Nino placed a hand on his girlfriend’s shoulder, “Babe, focus.”

 

“Oh, right,” Alya gave a chagrined smile before turning seriously back to Ladybug, “So anyway, people were making a huge fuss about spotting an akuma when Lila came running. I think she came out deliberately to catch it.”

 

Ladybug and Chat exchange a glance.

 

“Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past her at this point,” Chat remarked.

 

“The akuma was headed for Lila when her mom came out,” Nino explained, “Not sure if she realized Lila was aiming for the akuma or if she thought Lila was in danger, but she pulled Lila back. Tried to shield her, I think.”

 

Alya took over from there, “While they were arguing, the akuma flew into something dangling from Mrs. Rossi’s purse. A keychain or something. Since Mrs. Rossi was holding onto Lila, I think that’s how the akuma infected them both.”

 

“Well, that’s one thing explained,” Ladybug muttered, “What about the powers? It makes people...tell the truth? Doesn’t strike me as Lila’s style.”

 

Alya held out her phone, “That’s not exactly it. The akuma seems to have to different effects depending on which head is in control.”

 

“Mrs. Rossi’s blue beam makes people show their true selves,” Nino stated, “While Lila’s yellow beam...”

 

Alya showed them a video on her phone of someone being struck by a blast of yellow light. It was a girl that Nathaniel knew, a quiet girl who loved to draw and do free face paintings for kids at the children’s hospital. She was prone for all of a minute before jumping up with the meanest sneer on her face, brushing off her friends’ concerned questions and mocking them snidely. Her behavior was very reminiscent of Chloe on her worst days. It was overall unexpected of such a sweet girl.

 

“The yellow beam makes people act like a different person,” Alya said.

 

“The akuma is called Façade,” Chat noted, “One head gives others a mask, and the other removes it.”

 

Ladybug glanced out into the courtyard; Façade had figured there never was a student trying to sneak up on her and was prowling the courtyard angrily.

 

Something glittering from her hip caught Ladybug’s attention.

 

“There,” Ladybug said, pointing, “That must be the keychain.”

 

“How do we get to it?” Chat asked, “Two heads are better than one; more chances to be seen.”

 

Ladybug narrowed her eyes, watching how even now, the two heads bickered with one another, “I’m not so sure two heads is really working to their advantage. You said it yourself Chat; they were akumatized while angry for different reasons. They’re not going to work together.”

 

Chat nodded, “That’s true, and I think Mrs. Rossi’s only target is her daughter. But Lila controls the hands just as much as her mother; if we get too close to her mother’s side and Lila hears us or anything, she can direct any attacks towards us.”

 

“And regardless of which beam she throws, we don’t want to get hit by hit,” Ladybug surmised, “We’d either end up blurting out our civilian identities or get a façade that’s the exact opposite of a hero.”

 

“Cowardly, selfish, and hateful,” Chat listed off, “Not a _purr_ sonality I’d like to have.”

 

Ladybug rolled her yo-yo around in her hand, giving Chat a thoroughly unimpressed look.

 

“…I’m done,” Chat promised, crossing a finger over his heart.

 

“Right, so anyway,” Ladybug carried on, “This akuma’s power is way too risky to be exposed to. If we’re shot in close vicinity to her, there’s a fifty-fifty chance we’ll reveal who we really are and we can’t have Hawkmoth finding that out.”

 

She tapped her chin, “We may need more heroes.”

 

“Hey yeah,” Chat agreed, “Carapace’s power could deflect the blasts.”

 

Ladybug shook her head, “Bad idea. We need as little collateral damage as possible right now. Look over there.”

 

They all watched as Façade threw a blast at a fleeing student. Fortunately, the girl was actually in the hallway and the blast hit the window between her and the courtyard.

 

Unfortunately, it ricocheted off the glass and bounced back to strike a boy who had attempted to make a mad dash for the door.

 

“As useful as Carapace’s powers would be for us,” Ladybug said, “It wouldn’t be fair to those we're trying to protect to let them get hit with deflected attacks just to save ourselves.”

 

“Well what about Rena Rouge,” Nino suggested, “She can create a ton of fake targets for Façade to attack.”

 

Ladybug nodded, secretly impressed by Nino’s maturity; he didn’t mind at all that he wasn’t going to be chosen for this battle, “That’s a good point. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that after whatever happened in class, there’s a few people Lila would like to go after.”

 

Alya nodded, “Yeah, and they’re all hiding right now, so she’s got to be frustrated that she doesn’t see them. I think her mom’s been keeping her from getting too far into the school; keeping her held up here by fighting her every step.”

 

“Not to mention,” Alya added with a wicked grin, “Lila tried to claim she was Rena Rouge…I think seeing the real deal will make her furious and keep her _plenty_ distracted for a while.”

 

Chat grinned broadly, “Now that is an ingenious plan. Not only could multiple illusions of Rena drive Lila crazy, but Rena could also make illusions of us for Façade to target while we sneak up on her.”

 

He turned to Ladybug, “What do you think, Bugaboo? You going to go grab the fox Miraculous and find Rena?”

 

“Yeah sure,” Ladybug agreed, warily darting her eyes between Chat and Alya. She had to figure out a way to give Alya the miraculous without Chat seeing. So how to separate them...

 

“Um, I might need some cover,” she fibbed, “Façade is waiting for us to come out of hiding. She might see me when I go to leave.”

 

“Just sneak out the other windo—ow!” Nino rubbed his ribs from where his girlfriend elbowed her.

 

Alya gave him a warning look, “She needs a distraction to sneak out and _then go find Rena_ …understand?”

 

“Hm?—Oh!” Nino’s eyes lit up in understanding, “Right…distraction.”

 

“Leave that to me,” Chat declared, mock saluting his lady.

 

Tuck and rolling back into the courtyard, Chat landed on one knee, poised to pounce, “Hey Masquerade! Over here!”

 

Façade turned to him, breaking off from her slow, creeping advancement on a group of terrified students and teachers.

 

The Lila head sneered, “Masquerade? Is that your plan; to try and piss me off by saying my name wrong?”

 

Chat grinned, “Is it working?”

 

“Hardly.”

 

Chat shrugged nonchalantly, “Oh my bad…Liar-la.”

 

The Lila head’s face colored a red puce, face screwing up in rage, “I am not a liar!”

 

She threw a yellow beam at Chat, her mother pleading and fighting to regain control.

 

Chat narrowly ducked out of the way of the beam, “Hit a sore spot, did I?”

 

“I’ll give you a sore spot!” Façade’s Lila head threatened.

 

Just as she threw her hands out, one grabbed hold of the other, halting her.

 

“Stop it!” Mrs. Rossi’s head demanded, making one of the hands glow blue, “This stops now.”

 

The Lila head growled, trying to push the glowing hand away from her with the non-glowing one, “It doesn’t stop until I say it does.”

 

Turning the other hand yellow, Lila tried to smack her mother in the face with it, “You’d be better with a whole new façade yourself. How about one that likes to lie?!”

 

Mrs. Rossi twisted the shared neck to the side sharply, avoiding the flailing hand and making Lila’s aim jerk sideways haphazardly. The beam struck the ground nearby.

 

As the pair continued to fight, Chat took the opportunity to guide some students out of the courtyard as quietly as possible, sidestepping errant beams of blue and yellow.

 

He turned to Ladybug and gave her thumbs up, mouthing, “I’ve got you covered.”

 

Just then, Façade’s Lila head let out a frustrated growl.

 

“This is getting us nowhere!” she snarled, both of Façade’s hands slapping and smacking at each other, pulling Lila or Mir’s Rossi’s hair.

 

Lila narrowed her eyes at Chat with a growl, “I swear I’ll get you. Then Ladybug.”

 

Chat stuck his tongue out at her, “I think you need to resolve your little family feud first.”

 

The Lila head let out a shriek of rage and Façade kicked one of the large chunks of cement debris at Chat with all her might, catching the feline superhero off guard.

 

It struck Chat in the middle, hard, and sent him hurtling into the wall.

 

“Chat!” Ladybug gasped.

 

Chat coughed, dazed, “So she’s got…super strength too…Hawkmoth’s covering his bases…”

 

Façade approached Chat, the Lila head grinning ear to ear.

 

“That was easier than I thought,” she said smugly, striking her mother’s head with a sharp rap of her hand to daze her.

 

Façade raised her hands, both of them glowing yellow, “Now if mommy dearest would stay quiet for a little bit, we can get this show on the road.”

 

“Chat no!” Ladybug went to move, but Alya held her back.

 

“Ladybug, you can’t!” she pleaded, “Everyone needs you. Let me go distract her.”

 

Ladybug shook her head, “We can’t let the blue beam hit you or you’ll reveal you’re Rena Rouge.”

 

“Guys, look,” Nino interjected, “Something’s happening.”

 

Façade was clutching Lila’s head, a purple butterfly outline appearing over the girl’s face.

 

“The blue beam? That’s my mother’s, I can’t control it—no I will not wake her up, she doesn’t listen to me…who cares what Chat’s identity is? I’ll just take his miraculous and we can find out that way!’

 

She shook her head, glaring at no one, “I don’t need to make him tell the truth to find out Ladybug’s identity, I’ll just beat her too and take her miraculous as well.”

 

The Lila head groaned, clutching her head in pain, “Stop it! I know what I’m doing. If you want my help, we do this my way!”

 

Shaking off the purple mask, the Lila head glared down at Chat through narrowed eyes.

 

“Let’s see who you are under the mask, kitty cat,” she said, reaching for Chat’s ring.

 

“No!” Ladybug cried desperately.

 

Something struck Façade in the back right between the shoulders, prompting the akuma to turn around.

 

“What a tacky outfit!” Chloe cried in outrage, scooping up another piece of rubble, “And to think you claimed to have impressed my mother with your atrocious fashion sense.”

 

“Chloe,” Lila hissed, “I was wondering if I would see you. Color me surprised; I figured you’d be hiding and waiting for daddy to save you like the coward you are.”

 

Chloe scoffed, “You want to talk about cowardly? You’re too scared to face anyone calling you out on your bullshit so you run crying to Hawkmoth. I at least have never wanted to be akumatized.”

 

“What is she doing?” Alya gasped.

 

“I don’t know,” Ladybug replied, watching the blonde girl with concern, “But she’s going to get herself hurt.”

 

“And you would think Hawkmoth would at least give you a decent outfit,” Chloe taunted, “But then again, maybe you chose this fashion disaster. You aren’t exactly that good at dressing yourself anyway. I mean, orange with that skin tone? And a romper? You look like a citrus themed toddler!”

 

The Lila head scowled, taking a step towards the blonde, “Toddler? How about I show you a tantrum?”

 

She barely took another step when the purple mask appeared.

 

“Yes, Hawkmoth,” she agreed, “Chat first; this loser can be dealt with later.”

 

She turned back to Chat.

 

Chloe chucked another piece of rubble at Façade, “Hey, I was talking to you!”

 

“Well I’m through talking to you,” Lila said simply.

 

She reached for Chat’s ring, the feline Superhero struggling to stay conscious, pinned beneath the cement she’d thrown at him.

 

“Get…away… _from him_!” Chloe all but screamed. Sprinting forwards, she leaped on Façade’s back, arms wrapping around the akuma’s neck.

 

Façade shrieked, flailing and thrashing about. She brought her arms up over her head, clawing and beating at the human backpack clinging to her like a leech.

 

“Get off!” Lila’s head shouted.

 

“No!” Chloe yelled back, hanging on for all she was worth, “I won’t let you touch him!”

 

“Why do you even care?” Lila asked, “They abandoned you. You’re no longer Queen Bee. And he’s just the stupid sidekick!”

 

Chloe grabbed a hold of Lila’s ear and twisted, drawing a pained scream from the akuma, “Don’t you ever call him that!”

 

“She’s gone crazy,” Nino exclaimed.

 

Alya held up her phone, recording the action even as a horrified, and worried grimace decorated her face, “What’s that girl thinking?”

 

Ladybug was more baffled than they all were. Chloe could hardly stand Chat, so why was she going to such great lengths to protect him? Why care so much?

 

Chloe slapped Mrs. Rossi’s head in the face, smacking her cheeks.

 

“Come one, lady,” she pleaded, “Do something about your crazy daughter.”

 

“No!” Façade managed to dislodge Chloe just as Mrs. Rossi’s head started to come to.

 

Chloe landed in a heap, her hair askew, nail marks on her face and her shirt ripped. All in all she looked worse for wear, but she didn’t appear to give the slightest damn as she glared hatefully at Lila, putting herself between the akuma and Chat Noir.

 

“Guess I’ll have to take care of you sooner rather than later,” Lila jeered, pointing her yellow glowing hands at the girl.

 

“Chloe!” Ladybug cried out, dashing from her hiding place.

 

Façade whirled around, the Lila head grinning triumphantly, “There you are!”

 

“No!” Chloe threw herself in front of the beam, recoiling as it struck her in the stomach.

 

“Chloe no!” Ladybug whipped out her yo-yo, wrapping it around a hunk of broken cement and tossing it at Façade, knocking the akuma off her feet.

 

Working fast, Ladybug retracted her yo-yo and grabbed Chloe, racing to Chat. Shoving the debris off him, she grabbed her partner around the middle and sprinted both blondes to safety on the other side of the courtyard.

 

“Chloe,” she said, setting the blonde girl down, “Speak to me. Are you alright?”

 

Chloe groaned, “Do I look alright? Look at me! My hair’s a mess, my shirt is ruined, and I’m pretty sure I chipped a nail. This manicure was expensive!”

 

Ladybug blinked, “You…you got hit with the beam, right? You don’t sound any different.”

 

Chloe scoffed, “Duh! That’s the beam for facades, remember.”

 

“Yeah…” Ladybug said hesitantly, “…so?”

 

Chloe sighed, looking away, “So she can’t give me a façade if I already have one…”

 

Ladybug started, sitting back in shock. Did Chloe honestly just admit her attitude was a mask?

 

“You…” Ladybug stammered, “You…”

 

Chloe rolled her eyes, “Look, do you really think I like being the uber bitch all the time? It’s a lot of work to scowl and still look pretty.”

 

She looked at the ground, hand going to Chat’s hair as the feline lay beside them, still dazed, “When you show people your true self, they can hurt you. So it’s best to act like you can’t be hurt…”

 

“Chloe,” Ladybug breathed, honestly quite touched.

 

Chloe waved her away, “Enough sentimental mushy stuff. Go do whatever it was you were planning while Chat distracted that thing. Grabbing a miraculous for Rena, I suppose?”

 

“Uh, right,” Ladybug agreed, shaking herself from her stupor. She paused, eyes going to Chloe’s hand threading through Chat’s hair, “Chloe…I’ve got to ask. Since when did you care about Chat Noir?”

 

Chloe pulled her hand away as if burned, “W-what? I don’t! I was just…just trying to help. It’s what Queen Bee would do, right? What reason would I have for caring about him?”

 

 

**{Earlier}**

 

“Plagg…that other voice on the recording…”

 

“Y-yeah?” Plagg asked nervously, “What about it?”

 

Adrien screwed up his face in thought, “It’s weird…I get the feeling that I’ve heard it before. But I haven’t right?”

 

“Nope!” Plagg answered, perhaps a bit too quickly, “Not that I can recall.”

 

“Then why did it sound so familiar?” Adrien pressed.

 

“How should I know?” Plagg mumbled out between bites of cheese, “It’s not like I recognize that voice. Nope, not a bit!”

 

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the tiny god, “…Plagg…”

 

Another crash; the building shook.

 

Just outside the window, a red and black polka dotted blur swung by.

 

“No time,” Plagg urged hurriedly, “Looks like your lady needs you.”

 

“Right!” Adrien agreed, determination filling his eyes, “Plagg, claws out!”

 

As Chat Noir leaped from the broom closet, one of the large mop buckets moved. Rolling away, it revealed a gaping, pale faced blonde.

 

“You’re fucking kidding me!”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...You must really hate me after that cliff hanger, huh? 
> 
> I have no regrets.
> 
> So what did you think of the akuma? Pretty unexpected, huh? So many of you were banking on Mrs. Rossi being it, and you were right, but come on, did you really think Lila would give up the chance to get her revenge? If she sees an akuma, of course she's going to try and get hold of it. 
> 
> Chloe finally got her chance to be badass, I'm so proud of her. Given what she knows now, it's only natural that she would get defensive of someone going after Chat. 
> 
> Review please :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone. I hope everyone had a great week.  
> I have to tell you, watching you all try and guess WHICH Rossi was the akuma in previous chapters was so much fun. I had been planning that Crohenberg of an abomination for a while so long before you started guessing I knew I was going to have them BOTH be the akuma. The clown theme sort of came later as I was writing the chapter, but I always wanting them fused to one another in a bickering, two headed akuma. I love how I surprised you all!
> 
> Also glad everyone is digging the Chloe redemption. She's not someone I see becoming instant bffs with Marinette, even with the girl being her favorite superhero. But she's trying. Knowing that Marinette of all people saw her as capable of being better is a bigger motivator for her to improve than anything else was. It's proof that others can see her for more than what she pretends to be.

* * *

_As Chat Noir leaped from the broom closet, one of the large mop buckets moved. Rolling away, revealing a gaping, pale faced blonde._

_“You’re fucking kidding me!”_

 

“I-it doesn’t matter,” Chloe stammered, eyes askance as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively, “So I was a little worried about Adr—this mangey cat.  He’s your partner, right?  I wouldn’t want to leave Ladybug without any help.”

She wouldn’t meet Ladybug’s eyes, which the superheroine found odd.  Chloe never had trouble meeting Marinette’s gaze, be it as Ladybug or her civilian self.  She oozed confidence. 

Her actions spoke volumes of someone not being totally honest, but that made little sense; Chloe rarely felt bad for her stretching of the truth or her tricks.  When she lied, particularly to her father or a teacher, she met their stare head on, confident even when she knew her words held no water.

So why shy away now?

“Chloe…”

“Just go get the Fox Miraculous,” Chloe said, waving Ladybug off dismissively, “Or the Turtle.  I presume you’re going to get one of them, right.  We don’t have all day.”

Ladybug worried her lip, glancing at Chat, “But what about—”

Again, Chloe waved her off, “I’ll try and wake this guy up.  He’s just a bit dazed. I think.”

She glared at Ladybug when the hero didn’t move, “Well go on, get moving!  I doubt Lila’s mom can keep her psycho daughter distracted forever.”

Ladybug cautiously peeked outside.  Façade was still bickering amongst themselves, or rather herself, both heads spitting and glaring at each other.  Every so often, and errant beam of light, some blue, some yellow, shot off from their twitching, creepy hands to either blast dents in the pavement or knock some poor feeling student or teacher off their feet. 

Chloe was right, Façade could only keep herself distracted for so long before the Lila head took back control.  The malice and anger in Lila were clearly strong enough to overpower Mrs. Rossi’s emotions, probably because the older woman’s feelings were comprised of just as much sadness as they were anger. 

Her conflicting emotions left her with less resolve, whereas Lila was capitalizing fully on her hate.

“You’re right,” Ladybug conceded, turning to Chloe, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Chloe huffed, “Just go already.  You’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

Ladybug opened a window on the other side of the hallway, away from the courtyard.  Preparing to jump out, she paused, turning to Chloe.

“Be careful, please,” she said sincerely.

Chloe started, caught between elation at her hero caring about her and conflicted with indignation that Marinette Dupain-Cheng of all people was being nice to her, “J-just go!”

Nodding, Ladybug leaped out the window, swinging off through Paris.

Chloe huffed, turning back to the dazed and blearily blinking Chat.

“Ridiculous,” she muttered, carding her fingers through Chat’s hair, “You as that mangy cat, utterly ridiculous.”

 

{page break}

 

Ladybug swung through the city as fast as she could go, knowing time was of the essence.  Every minute she wasted Façade could be hurting more people and getting closer to her class.  Aside from herself and Chloe, the class were Lila’s biggest targets for finally seeing through her lies.

Ladybug cursed to herself; she’d wasted too much time as it was.  She really should have left the moment Chat put the distraction plan into action, but she’d been worried for him. 

Façade was a tricky opponent; mainly due to how much Lila remained in control of herself instead of at Hawkmoth’s command.  It allowed her to focus entirely on her goals instead of his.  And her goals were mainly about hurting everyone important to Ladybug and Marinette.  That made her more dangerous than the other akumas they’d fought.

So when Chat had rushed out there, even though it was the agreed upon plan, Ladybug had lingered instead of taking off like she was supposed to.  And when Façade had landed a hit and Chloe threw herself in harms way, Ladybug had acted without thinking, rushing in to save them without a second thought.

Ducking down into an alleyway next to Fu’s shop, Ladybug peered cautiously around her to ensure the coast was clear.

“Tikki, spots off.”

In a flash of light, Marinette stood in her heroic persona’s place.

Tikki floated before her, “That akuma is really something else.”

Marinette nodded, “We need to get Rena’s Miraculous and get back to the fight as soon as possible.”

Tikki flew into her chosen’s purse and Marinette raced out of the alley.

“Excuse me,” Marinette called out, announcing herself in case someone was with Fu.

Fu appeared from the back room, teacup in hand, Wayzz floating alongside him, “Hello, Marinette.  I had a feeling I would be seeing you.”

“I take it you know about the akuma, huh?” Marinette asked seriously.

Fu hummed, nodding, “Word is traveling fast; Hawkmoth has created a very memorable one this time.”

“Yeah,” Marinette agreed, “This one is definitely something out of a nightmare.  Good thing I’m not afraid of clowns.”

Fu chuckled good naturedly, “So I trust you are here for a miraculous to assist you and Chat Noir.”

“We need Rena Rouge, Master,” Tikki cried urgently, flying up to Fu, “Lila’s motivation is vengeance against everyone who called her out on lying, so Rena can make illusions for her to go after and keep her away from her real targets.”

Wayzz nodded, “That’s a good plan; lead her away from people with illusions of those she’s after, wear her out and keep her focus divided between her goals and Hawkmoth’s goal.”

“A very wise plan indeed,” Fu agreed, bringing out the miraculous box.  He opened it and gestured to its contents. 

Marinette picked up the box containing the Fox Miraculous straight away, confident in her choice to call upon Alya for help. 

“Thank you, Master Fu,” she said sincerely, “I know we’ll be able to beat Façade.”

Master Fu inclined his head, “I have faith in you, Marinette.”

“Let’s go,” Tikki urged, motioning towards the door, “Everyone needs us.”

“Right,” Marinette made to follow, but hesitated.

Tikki stopped, sensing her chosen’s confliction.  She flew up to Marinette, a frown on her face, “What’s wrong.”

Marinette looked down at the Miraculous box in her hand before glancing back at the case on the table.

“Master?” she began hesitantly. 

Fu looked at her expectantly.

“Something troubling you?” It may have been a question, but there was knowing in Fu’s tone. 

Marinette glanced at Tikki, turning to Master Fu with uncertainty. 

“Master Fu…I know the Miraculous are to be given only to those I deem worthy,” she started, “And I know there have been those who failed to live up to expectations…or at the very least failed to take the responsibility seriously…”

“You’re talking about Chloe, I presume,” Fu guessed.

Marinette nodded, “When she first got the miraculous…it was a mistake; a slip up on my part and I take responsibility for that.  Chloe, she…she took her chance at being something good and blew it right out of the gates, revealing herself to Paris and using it as a means to gain fame and popularity.  It was pretty clear then that she wasn’t cut out to be a hero.”

Master Fu nodded, listening intently.

“That’s what I thought, at least,” Marinette went on, “But even after a rocky, admittedly selfish start, Chloe has come through on several occasions when I deemed it necessary to call on her.  Even with her need to show off, she did what needed to be done when push came to shove and proved she could be counted on.”

Marinette glanced at Tikki, seeking reassurance, “Chloe isn’t perfect, but then I am not either.  I can’t say I have never used being Ladybug for selfish reasons; reasons I’m not proud of.  And Chloe…she has her reasons for trying to prove herself to everyone so hard, for needing to be in the spotlight.  I’m not saying her actions are justified, but I do understand why she is how she is.”

Tikki smiled encouragingly at her.

Fu smiled as well, gesturing for Marinette to continue, “Just tell me what it is you wish to ask, Marinette.”

“Chloe earned her miraculous,” Marinette blurted out, “Maybe not at first, maybe not the second or third time either.  But eventually she did.  At first I thought it wasn’t making her the good person I had hoped it would, but I was wrong.  Shes a good Queen Bee”

“Chloe found out my identity,” Marinette confessed, actually managing to catch Fu off guard, “She told me so herself today.  She told me as Marinette.”

Fu’s eyes widened, “That…is unexpected.”

Marinette nodded in understanding, “I know…but she’s sworn to keep it a secret.  She’s the one who helped me sneak away to transform, and before I came here…she threw herself in danger to protect Chat and buy me time.  She’s not…”

She ran a hand through her hair before trying again, “She’s not who I thought she was.”

“And you think perhaps she still would make a good chosen for the Bee Miraculous,” Fu surmised.

Marinette nodded, worrying her lip, “But I know she told everyone her secret identity, and I know she’d be in more danger as a chosen if Hawkmoth knows she still worked with me.  But I…she’s already done so much for me, more than I thought she ever would.  But her identity…and the risks and all…and—”

Master Fu held up a hand, “Marinette, I already told you I have faith in you.  If I didn’t it would not have been _you_ that I trusted to choose who wields the fox and turtle.”

He reopened the box, “If you think Chloe should be given a second chance, I trust you implicitly.”

“But her secret identity,” Marinette argued, only to be halted yet again by a calm wave of Fu’s hand.

“She may not be able to be Queen Bee anymore,” Fu reasoned, “But that doesn’t necessarily mean she cannot wield the Bee Miraculous as a new hero.”

Marinette blinked, “I…I don’t understand…”

“Marinette, the costumes you wear while transformed are not set in stone,” Tikki explained, “It partially based upon a chosen’s subconscious preferences.”

Marinette looked at her kwami, “So what are you saying?”

“The look of your transformation is different for every chosen,” Wayzz took over, “If you gave the Trixx’s Miraculous to a different person, they wouldn’t look identical to Rena Rouge; they’d look how their preferences influenced their costume to look.”

“The Bee chosen’s costume can be changed, Marinette,” Tikki told her chosen.

Marinette turned to Fu, “So Chloe could be the Bee chosen?”

Fu nodded, “If you so choose.  You can encourage Chloe and Pollen to create a new identity, a new persona to make Hawkmoth believe you have picked a different wielder.”

He took out the Bee Miraculous box, “The choice is yours, if you’re sure.”

Marinette turned to Tikki searchingly.

Tikki gave her a warm, reassuring, and trusting smile, “It’s up to you, Marinette.  DO you think she is worthy?”

Marinette turned to the box and then looked at Fu, determination burning in her eyes.  Grabbing the box, she nodded once to Fu, “Wish me luck.”

Fu laughed, “My dear, that’s your specialty.”

 

{page break}

 

Chat dodged another blast of Façade’s yellow beam, darting behind a pole just in the nick of time. 

“You know, some would say two heads are better than one,” he mocked, “But you guys are barely two halves of a whole akuma!”

The Lila head scowled, going to send another yellow beam Chat’s way before her mother’s head took control and slapped the hand away, sending off a blue beam in a random direction instead.

A groan sounded from somewhere behind Chat.

“Enough with the banter,” Chloe groused, “I don’t think they’re even puns anymore.  And I’m pretty sure you already did the two heads are better than one bit.”

Chat rolled his eyes, “Pardon me, Chloe, but it’s hard to work up a repertoire when I’m under fire.  I _purr_ sonally think I am a _head_ above the best comedians in Paris.”

Another groan, “Ugh, does Ladybug put up with this every fight?”

The fight had unfortunately spilled into the school from the courtyard, the akuma’s bickering only doing so much to slow the Lila head down.  Around them, students and faculty ran like chickens with their heads cut off, all donning false airs and deceptive new personas or blurting out their true wants and desires, baring even the most private feelings for all to see. 

It had already led to a few ruined friendships, people confessing to little white lies or abandoning friends under their new fake images.  The assistant basketball coach had just revealed he’d lost his own chance at being a professional basketball star due to being caught bribing the recruiter back when he was in high school.

Chat ducked another beam, this one blue, “Shouldn’t you be hiding somewhere?”

Chloe scoffed, “Hey, someone has to look up for you until Ladybug gets back.”

She threw a piece of rubble down the hall, the rock clattering loudly and drawing the akuma’s attention away momentarily.

“In case it has escape your notice,” Chat drawled, “I am capable of looking after myself.”

“Yeah, that’s why you get thrown around as a furry human pinball in every battle,” Chloe said snidely. 

“What are you thinking?” she mumbled angrily.

Chat turned to look at Chloe, his eyes narrowed.  He smirked, “If I didn’t know any better…I’d say you were concerned about me, Chloe.”

Chloe’s face went red, backing away with her hands up, “W-what!  Untrue, so untrue.  Me, care about you? Utterly ridiculous!”

Chat grinned like a Cheshire cat, “Chloe…are you becoming a Chat Noir fan?”

Chloe scoffed, arms folded over her head, “As if.  I don’t have to like you to want you not to die.  Is that so hard to comprehend?”

“Sure,” Chat said with a teasing smirk, “Your face is awful red.”

Chloe covered her face, “It is not!”

Chat stepped closer to Chloe, “Are you sure you’re _feline_ okay?”

A hand grabbed him by his smirking face, shoving him back.

“Again, with the stupid puns,” Chloe grumbled, “How did I never realize that you were this annoying?”

It was Chat’s turn to frown, confused, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t you always thought I was annoying?”

Chloe blanched, realizing her mistake, “Uh…yeah!  I just never knew how annoying you really were.  Before you were…a mild irritant at best.”

Chat snorted, “Glad I’ve been upgraded.”

“Guys!” A red spotted figured landed down besides them.

“Ladybug!” Chloe exclaimed in excitement.  She seemed to remember a moment later just who was under the mask, because the overjoyed smile slipped off her face and she cringed, looking away.

“About time,” she said instead.

Chat gave Chloe a curious look but then shrugged it off, turning to his partner with a smile, “Glad you could join us, m’lady.  Did you get the miraculous we need?”

Ladybug nodded, “Yeah.  I’ll be giving it to Rena in a moment.  But first…”

She trailed off, eyes darting between Chat and Chloe, glancing down at the other box in her grasp.

Chat tilted his head, “What’s up, Bugaboo?”

Ladybug paused uncertainly.  When it came to picking a chosen for a miraculous, she’d always kept who she picked a secret from Chat.  This was mainly due to Master Fu’s advisement on the importance of secret identities. 

At the time that she picked Rena and later Carapace, it had made perfect sense.  Hawkmoth was still very much an unknown to them, the range of his abilities shrouded in some level of mystery even with the Guardian’s knowledge.  Chloe had been the exception because she took the option for secrecy right out of their hands with her very public announcement.

But it was becoming clear that Hawkmoth’s powers weren't as far reaching and impressive as they once assumed.  Given the times he’d akumatized Carapace and Rena, as well as the times he’d used an akuma’s powers to control Chat, he'd still never found out their identities under the mask.  So, it was likely he couldn’t read the minds of those he controlled. 

If he held any notion that the other Miraculous Holders knew anything crucial about Ladybug or Chat Noir, then he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to find out if he could.  Obviously, being in someone’s head didn’t grant him access to see what goes on it.

Ladybug hated keeping such a huge secret from Chat about who Rena and Carapace were, but she couldn't really tell him without Rena and Carapace's consent and even then Master Fu might advise against it.  It was one thing to refuse to share her own identity with him; it was hers.  But it made her a hypocrite to stress the importance of those identities when she had the privilege of knowing the other holders’ civilian selves.  At least it felt hypocritical to her.  He was her partner, it wasn’t fair to expect him to trust her so implicitly when she never gave him the same courtesy.

There was also the guilt of Chloe knowing who she really was before Chat did.  While she appreciated Chloe’s understanding and help, if she were ever to tell anyone her identity, she would have preferred her partner.  It was only fair.

“Ladybug?” Chat pressed when she hadn’t said anything for a while.

Ladybug glanced at Chloe.  The girl had more than proven herself as an effective member of the team, and she was even starting to show that outside of the mask.  And Chat knowing her identity hadn’t stopped him from working cohesively with her.  Would it really be so bad…

A boom rocked the school.

“What are you waiting for?” Chloe cried, “She’s going to find the others eventually if you don’t do something.”

Ladybug shook her head, there wasn’t much time.  She had to take this leap of faith.

“Chat,” she said seriously, turning to her partner, “I’m going to trust you with something very important…something no one else must ever know.”

Chat looked at her with wide eyes, “M’lady?”

“No one must ever know who Chloe is,” Ladybug said, making both blondes reel back in surprise.

“What?”

“Huh?”

“Chloe Bourgeois,” Ladybug said with authority.  She held out the box, “I’m trusting you once more with the Bee Miraculous.  Will you accept the honor—and all the responsibilities that come with it—and become a new hero?”

The look on Chloe’s face was priceless.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well everyone's been rooting for this. Congrats, it's happening. 
> 
> It's been interesting seeing some of you weigh in on the whole secret identity thing regarding Chat not knowing Rena and Carapce's identities. Frankly, Hawkmoth's ability to akumatize miraculous holders presents some concerns about them knowing each other's civilian forms. If one was akumatized, they go inadvertently out another holder by being told to fetch so-and-so's miraculous and seeking the person out before they're transformed. Imagine how that would go over if Hawkmoth ordered an akumatized Chat to get Ladybug's miraculous and Chat, knowing who she was under the mask, went looking for Marinette in response. That would expose her to Hawkmoth. 
> 
> Ladybug of course feels guilty to keep secrets from Chat. Asking someone to trust you implicitly while being unable to give them the same level of trust has to be hard. 
> 
> That being said, Chloe seems like a useful person to know a few identities since she has now demonstrated the ability to refuse and reject the akuma Hawkmoth sends. Her willpower is surprisingly strong and her desire to prove she's better than others helps her push out Hawkmoth, because she refuses to be seen as weak enough to be manipulated by him.
> 
> I've been fiddling with a design for her for a while, so as soon as someone tells me how to insert a picture into a chapter, I'll show you guys the new look!
> 
> Review please <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I tried everything people suggested in an attempt to share the image here of Chloe's new hero look and it would NOT let me do it. I'm not the most tech savvy, so I must have messed up somewhere, so just go look up "Queen Bee Redesign because I'm a nerd" by tsukiko-koe on deviantart. I tried to make it work with dropbox, but the stupid program wouldn't let me make links shareable, mainly because the "create link" option never came up like the help desk claims it would if you hover over the file, and click share.
> 
> Glad to see everyone is loving this story so far. I didn't expect so much positive feedback if I'm being honest' this just started off as a little drabble I came up with during lunch break at work. When I posted the first chapter, I hadn't given much thought into doing another chapter. And then the reviews came pouring in. So thank ;)

* * *

Chloe didn’t move.  She didn’t speak. 

She could only stare in stunned silence at the comb in Ladybug’s hand. 

“…what did you say?” she asked eventually.

Ladybug gave her a wry grin, hand on her cocked hip, “What’s the matter?  Cat got your tongue?”

“She punned,” Chat murmured, staring in both shock and adoration at Ladybug, “My lady punned.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Are you serious?” Chloe asked hesitantly, trying to keep the hopeful excitement out of her voice, “You…you’re choosing me again?”

Ladybug nodded, “You’ve really shown me a new side of you, Chloe.”

She placed a hand on Chloe’s shoulder.

“A side of you that I can trust,” she told the blonde.

Chloe didn’t say anything, blinking back tears as her lip wobbled.

“Almost hard to _Bee_ lieve, isn’t it?” Chat asked, clearly proud of himself.

“Shut up!” Chloe hiccupped, rubbing at her eyes.

She looked back to Ladybug, uncertainty still swimming in her eyes, “A-are you sure?  Really sure, I mean?”

“I am,” Ladybug replied.

“But you said it was too dangerous for me to be Queen Bee,” Chloe pushed, “That Hawkmoth could target me and my family.”

“She’s right,” Chat agreed, head tilted to the side like the curious kitten he was, “What changed your mind?”

“Chat, Chloe risked her life for you today,” Ladybug pointed out, gesturing to the blonde girl, “And for Marinette, someone she doesn’t even like, she stood up to Lila earlier—so I’ve heard,” she added, casting a quick panicked glance in Chat’s direction to see if he bought her excuse.

Chloe snorted, arms crossing over her chest.

“A-anyway,” Ladybug went on, “Chloe has shown she is capable of doing the right thing, even at the cost of her own safety.  That dedication reminds me of someone else.”

Chat looked truly curious now, “Who?”

“You,” Ladybug answered sincerely.

Chat flushed up to the roots of his hair, a dreamy smile flitting over his face.

Next to him, Chloe slapped her hand to her face, “A love square…it’s a stupid love square…”

“Mm? What was that?” Chat asked, not really paying attention. 

Chloe shook her head, “Nothing.  But Ladybug, what about my identity?”

“What if I told you that you can start over?” Ladybug asked in lieu of an answer, “Be a new bee hero, someone Paris doesn’t know?”

Chloe looked at her in amazement, “How?”

“The design is up to you and Pollen,” Ladybug said simply. 

There was a flash and suddenly a yellow little creature floated before them.

“My Queen!” Pollen exclaimed in excitement.

This time, Chloe didn’t even try to stop the tears as the kwami flew to her, “Pollen!”

Pollen nuzzled her face, “I missed you, my Queen.”

“I missed you too,” Chloe croaked, throat tight as she cradled Pollen in her hands, “I really thought I’d never see you again.”

Ladybug cleared her throat, hating to disturb such a tender moment.

“Your suit is based on your preferences,” Ladybug explained, “That’s why every Ladybug has had a different outfit from the last; it’s based on who each individual Ladybug is as a person and their preferences.  So, you and Pollen can create a new suit, one other people will not associate with Queen Bee.”

She held out the bee miraculous expectantly.

Slowly, carefully, Chloe picked the miraculous up, holding it reverently in her hands.

“But what should it look like?” Chloe asked, still holding Pollen close.

Ladybug patted her shoulder, “That’s up to you.  Being a miraculous holder is your chance to be yourself instead of what you think others want.”

She smiled at Chloe, a teasing tone to it, “Do you think I’m this confident _out_ of the suit?”

Chloe scoffed, “Definitely not.”

Ladybug chuckled and the hint of a smile twitched on Chloe’s face.

Chat looked back and forth between them, confused, “Am I missing something here?”

“Nope, just girl talk,” Ladybug replied, turning to Chat with a grin, “I have to get Rena her miraculous, I’ll be right back.”

“Milady, wait!” Chat called out before she left, “I can understand your reasoning for giving Chloe a second chance, but…why let me in on this?  I thought the whole not knowing who anyone was thing was important.”

Ladybug looked fondly at her partner.

“I hate having to keep so many secrets from you, Chaton,” she confessed, “I only keep my own for both our safety.  And Rena and Carapace’s identities are not truly mine to tell.”

“But Chloe trusts you,” Ladybug added, said blonde girl flushing red right to the tips of her ears as she glared then looked away, “So I trust you to keep her secret.  Because I know I can count on you…both of you.”

With one last fond look at Chat, she swung away.

“Did you hear that?” Chat asked with a dreamy smile, “She trusts me…she cares about me…”

Chloe just shook her head, eyes rolling so hard it could give her a headache.

“You idiots deserve each other,” she muttered as she slipped the bee miraculous into her hair.

 

{page break}

 

“Ladybug!” Alya whispered as loud as was safe to when one is trying to avoid attracting an angry akuma, “Over here.”

Ladybug landed down beside the blogger and her boyfriend as they crouched in a doorway, “Glad to see you both are okay.”

“Glad to see you’re back,” Alya said in return, pocketing her phone; she didn’t need her viewers seeing her transform, “It hasn’t been easy avoiding Façade.  Several of the people she’s hit have donned some pretty nasty, mean spirited personas; a few have been going around ratting out people’s hiding places.”

Ladybug frowned, “That’s terrible.  Those poor people are going to feel awful when this is over about how they’ve been forced to act.”

“Yeah, and the people who have been forced to show their ‘true selves’ are spilling things personal to them,” Nino said with a grimace, “I can’t imagine how they’ll feel after.  It wasn’t their choice to tell other people.”

Ladybug glared at the wall, “Hawkmoth stoops lower and lower every time he makes an akuma.  No one deserves to be forced into doing or saying anything.  What’s he’s done this time isn’t something miraculous ladybug will undo; everyone will have to live with what they’ve confessed.”

Alya’s face hardened, “And Marinette is Façade’s biggest target…”

She stood up, holding out her hand for the fox miraculous, “I’m not letting that two-faced freak mess with my girl.  It’s time someone took Façade down a notch.”

Ladybug grinned, handing her the miraculous box, “Well put.”

There was a flash and Trixx appeared before them.

“Hey Trixx,” Alya greeted, “Ready to fight?”

“Ready and waiting,” Trixx replied cheerfully, floating up to land in Alya’s hand, “What are we up against this time?”

“Just some liar who decided to pick on my best friend,” Alya commented, her glare belaying the casual tone she said it in, “And claimed to be the fox hero of Paris.”

“What?!” Trixx blurted out, anger taking over his cute little face, “A liar?  I may be the kwami of illusions, but my chosens are the height of trustworthy.  My chosens are the truest and most loyal; real assets to the team!”

Alya smirked at her kwami’s little fit, the tiny fox looking downright adorable as he sat there in her palm with his little arms crossed, “Ready to show her who the real fox is?”

Trixx flashed Alya a truly mischievous grin, “You know the magic words.”

“Trixx, lets pounce!”

In a flash of light and one transformation later, Rena Rouge stood in Alya’s place.

“Let’s go chase her out of the hen house,” Rena said with a smirk.

After making sure Nino was well hidden wringing a promise out of him that he’d record what he could for the blog, Rena and Ladybug sprinted down the hall in search of Façade.

“How far has she gotten?” Ladybug asked as they ran.

“She hasn’t reached Bustier’s class yet,” Rena informed her, “Chat Noir has been slowing her down where he can.”

Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good.  I’d hate to see those guys be subjected to Façade’s beam—I’ve met most of them during akuma attacks,” she covered for herself, “They all seem like very nice kids.  None of them would deserve this.”

“Yeah, this is the last thing they deserve,” Rena agreed, “Lila played everyone for fools, and we feel awful for how things nearly played out with Marinette.  That girl is the only one who has a right to be mad at us, not Lila.  Lila shouldn’t be mad at anyone but herself for the mess she made.”

The superheroines stopped outside the cafeteria, sounds of screams and yells coming from inside.

“Let’s do this,” both heroes said.

Ladybug used her yo-yo to propel herself up to one of the upper windows, landing on the ledge and taking a carefully survey of the cafeteria. 

Façade walked among the wrecked and tipped tables, unmindful of the mess around her as her eyes swept the room.

“Come out, Marinette,” the Lila head sang, “I’m not going to hurt you; I just want to talk.”

She raised one of her hands, studying it calculatingly, as it glowed yellow.

“I just want to talk to you about all the lies you spread about me,” she said, smiling wickedly to herself, “We really should clear that up.”

The head behind her scoffed, Mrs. Rossi scowling in disapproval, “How can you keep you expect anyone to fall for this.  We all know what kind of person you truly are now.”

Lila’s head rolled her eyes, a sneer painting her features, “Do you ever shut up?”

“Not until you stop lying,” Mrs. Rossi shot back. “This has gone on long enough.  You aren’t fooling anyone.”

“Please,” Lila’s head snorted, waving her glowing hands flippantly, “This has all been a big misunderstanding.  Once I…talk….to Marinette, everything will be back to normal and everyone will love me again.  I think I’ll hit Adrien too for good measure.”

“Do you honestly think no one will realize what you’ve done?” Mrs. Rossi asked, “Even if you catch that poor girl, people already know what your powers do; they’ll know it’s all a lie.”

Lila flexed her fingers, smirking to herself, “Not if they don’t see which power she was hit with.  Why do you think I want to ‘talk’ with her alone?”

She laughed low in her throat, “I won’t even need to do anything to Chloe.  Once the other two are discredited, no one will think anything of me saying she set me up because they already think she’s awful.”

“So that’s her plan,” Ladybug muttered to herself, “Hit me and Adrien with the façade beam while no one’s around and then claim it was the true selves beam so she can pretend later that every awful thing we did under her influence was the real us.  Then she can claim all the things revealed about herself were just lies we made up.”

“I have to make sure she doesn’t find Adrien,” Ladybug declared with determination.

She opened the window and leaped down into the cafeteria, “Hold it right there, Lila.”

Façade turned towards the spotted heroine, a smirk on the Lila head’s face.

“Oh Ladybug, there you are,” she said with false sweetness, “So you didn’t run away?  Pity, I thought you’d wised up and realized you can’t beat me.”

“Not a chance,” Ladybug said, glaring at the akuma, “Give up, Lila.  You won’t win.”

The Lila head pouted, “Why do you keep calling me that?  I’m Façade.  That’s what Hawkmoth calls me.”

Ladybug growled, “Stop pretending, Lila.  We both know you’re more in control here than you let on.  I doubt Hawkmoth has to try very hard to convince you to work for him.”

“Besides,” Ladybug added, “I’m not about to lump your poor mother in with you.”

“You must stop her,” Mrs. Rossi cried, managing to twist her and Lila’s heads around enough to look at Ladybug, “Please, before she hurts anyone else.”

Growling, Lila brought Façade’s hands up, grabbing hold of her mother’s head and wrenching it around to the back once more, “Shut up already!”

She returned her attention to Ladybug, eyes narrowly dangerously, “So where’s your partner?  Off licking his wounds after the last time that I laid him out?”

“Hardly,” Ladybug replied, “He’s been guarding Marinette and Adrien.  They’re probably miles away from here by now.”

Lila glared at her, “Now who’s the liar?  There’s no way he would leave everyone else here unprotected, especially not after you abandoned him to fight me alone.”

“I didn’t abandon you,” was Ladybug’s reply, “I just left to get help.”

“Hey Liar-la,” Rena burst into the room, standing proud, “I hear you’ve been going around claiming to be me.  Kind of sad really; a pale imitation can’t hope to live up to the real deal.”

The Lila head snarled, “Rena Rouge.” 

Said hero grinned broadly, “The one and only.”

“Why anyone would ever pick you for the fox miraculous is beyond me,” Lila sneered, “I was a better fox hero than you.  I was stronger, faster, smarter.  And I could do as many illusions as I wanted.”

“You were _never_ the fox hero,” Rena said derisively, “You want to talk illusions, even your identity was fake.  You were little more than another one of Hawkmoth’s costumed tools to use and throw away.  Don’t flatter yourself by assuming you could hold a candle to the true fox hero.”

Façade’s Lila head glowered at Rena, hands glowing yellow, “I bet I’d look pretty good in comparison if everyone got to see a new side of you.”

She struck quick, but Rena was quicker, leaping to the side to land on a table and flip over Façade.

“What was that you said about being faster?” she asked impishly, “Just another one of your lies?”

Snarling, Façade shot off another beam.

Rena dodged it again with ease, darting under an overturned table with a slide that would make a baseball player proud.

“Too slow,” she taunted.

“Stay still!” The Lila head shouted angrily.

Rena cackled, having a ball driving Façade crazy with her antics, “Now why would I do that?  We’re having so much fun!”

 _‘Perfect,’_ thought Ladybug as Rena continued shooting about the room like an out of control bouncy ball, _‘While Lila’s distracted is the perfect time to strike.’_

Her eyes followed the movements of the akumatized keychain swinging from Façade’s left hip.  Carefully, she crept closer.

 _‘If I can just…grab it…’_ she thought, arm outstretched.

Her fingers just barely grazed the keychain when her toe tapped against an empty soda can that someone had dropped while fleeing.  The rattle of aluminum caught Façade’s attention.

“Not so fast, Ladybug,” Lila snapped, whirling around to take a swing at the spotted hero.  Ladybug fell backward, narrowly missing the swipe of Façade’s demented spindly fingers.

The Lila head glanced over her shared body, hands smoothing over her outfit.

“What were you looking for?” she asked angrily.  When Ladybug didn’t answer she bared her teeth at the hero in a snarl, “What did you try to grab?!”

“Tell me!” she shrieked hands starting to glow.

Ladybug’s eyes widened as a thought struck her.

‘Lila doesn’t know what the object was that the akuma infected,’ she realized, ‘because she wasn’t holding onto the object; only her mother was.  She doesn’t know what she needs to protect from me.’

Before she could dwell on it more, Façade raised her hands high into the air.

“Forget it,” Lila sneered, “I’ll just get rid of you and figure it out once you’re out of the way.”

Just as she was about to bring Façade’s hands down to launch her yellow beam, her mother let out a scream.

“No!” Mrs. Rossi cried, and Façade’s fingers bent backwards towards her side of the body, sending the trajectory of the beam skywards. 

“Oh no!” Ladybug lassoed a beam with her yo-yo and pulled herself out of the way of the falling bits of ceiling the beam dislodged.

Façade was not so lucky, plaster raining down on her.

When the dust settled, a gray coated, dirty Façade lowered her arms, the Lila head seething in rage.

“That is it!” she roared.  She grabbed a nearby chair and since her mother didn’t know what she intended to do she didn’t have time to stop her as Lila used Façade’s strength to hurl the chair at Rena. 

Rena yelped as the unexpected projectile knocked her off a table.

“And you!” Lila turned on Ladybug, eyes flashing dangerously, “You think you’re so special, don’t you?  You’re nothing but a phony.”

“Wonderful Ladybug,” she scoffed, “Please, you’re just some petty, jealous freak hiding behind a mask.  No one would love you if they knew how pathetic you were.  You act perfect but you’re not.”

Ladybug narrowed her eyes at Lila, edging around the table she was cornered by in the hopes of reaching Rena.

“You know what, Lila,” Ladybug said, “You’re right; I’m not perfect.”

Lila blinked, clearly not expecting that.

“I’m only human,” Ladybug went on, “I have my flaws and I’m not going to pretend I don’t.  So yes, when you lied about me to try and get attention, I did get upset.  I did overreact and for that I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have humiliated you.”

Lila hesitated, hands hovering questioningly.

“But here’s the difference between you and me,” Ladybug continued, “I feel bad about what I did; I acted without thinking and I didn’t mean to hurt you.  But you?  You hurt people deliberately; that’s your intention from the start and you don’t care about how anyone feels.  You enjoy it, even.  I may have done some things I’m not proud of, but at least I can acknowledge I did wrong.”

She stared Lila down, “I may not be perfect, but at least I have a conscience.”

“You think you’re better than me?” Lila squawked in outrage, “I’ll show you.”

She threw up her hands, “Let’s see how everyone loves their precious Ladybug when I give her a new personality!”

Façade shot a yellow beam out Ladybug, forcing the heroine to jump out of the way.  The beam knocked a table into the windows, glass shattering and shooting out into the hall, drawing screams of terror from hiding students.

“Rena!” Ladybug cried, eyes darting around to spot her teammate, “Get those civilians out of here.”

“Right!” Rena sprung into action, racing towards the hall.

Façade cut her off, “Oh no you don’t!”

Just as she was about to shoot off another yellow beam, Mrs. Rossi seized control, managing to turn the beam blue at the last second.

“Stop this, Lila,” she begged as the beam missed Rena and struck the wall.

For several shots, she managed to intercept her daughter’s attempts at attacking and change the beam, shooting walls and windows, striking the occasional student who wound up blurting out things about themselves that they’d long tried to hide.

“Do you ever get tired of being annoying?” Lila asked in irritation. 

…at least it sounded like irritation, but upon closer inspection, Ladybug noticed the tiniest hint of a smirk on Lila’s face.

Ladybug followed Lila’s gaze, landing on the hit students spilling their secrets.

“Rena!” Ladybug cried out in warning, “She’s changed tactics.”

“That’s right, Ladybug!” Lila crowed, hands outstretched as her mother changed the beam to blue yet again, “If mother wants everyone to be true to themselves, then lets see who our heroes are under the mask!”

Mrs. Rossi’s face went pale, “What?  No!”

There was nothing she could do though; Lila had tricked her into using the true selves beam because the liar couldn’t use that power herself, which meant that Mrs. Rossi couldn’t access the façade power.  So, she was stuck with her power being unable to turn off.

Lila aimed the beam at Rena, forcing the hero to race out into the hall, hoping to put the wall between them.

Rather than be upset, Lila’s smirk only grew, “Gotcha.”

“What?” Rena questioned.  Turning around, she realized she was standing on the other side of a window…directly across from Ladybug.

“Ladybug look out!” Rena cried.

There wasn’t time for Ladybug to process what Rena was warning her about before Façade struck.  The beam ricocheted off the thick glass and bounced back right at Ladybug, careening towards her faster than she could react.

Ladybug’s eyes widened, hands coming up to shield herself helplessly when—

—A table was thrown in front of Ladybug at the last minute, breaking in half from the force of the beam.

“What?” Façade asked, confused.

Ladybug lowered her arms, baffled.  Eyes falling to the table, she saw a long thin cord wrapped around one leg, a very familiar top at the end of it.

“Sorry I’m late,” came a calm, cool voice, “But I’m afraid my invitation to this party must have been lost in the mail.”

A figure stepped into the room, retracting the spinning top and catching it expertly in her hand.

Dressed in a primarily black bodysuit, yellow stripes went up the girl’s legs, pointed in the front like a hexagon.  Yellow stripes pointed in reverse at her neck and again at her waist, the black bodysuit giving way to a black, bustle-like coattail that flared out behind her reminiscent of a bee’s back abdomen. 

Her tight black sleeves ended in fingerless gloves, yellow stripes around the wrists and the black leggings of her bodysuit ended in slim heeled boots tipped in yellow at the toes and heels. A mask covered her eyes in a black ring with yellow inside, a yellow stripe just under each eyehole.

Her most notable traits were a fuzzy, yellow sleeveless top that ended at the midriff and black sclera eyes with yellow pupils.

The bee miraculous sat in her black and blonde beehive hairstyle.

“Who are you?” The Lila head sneered.

The bee hero tsked, winding her top up and regarding the villain with disdain.

“Who am I?” she parroted back, seeming like she was contemplating her answer. Her voice was lower than Chloe’s, less whiny and her words came out with a precise, posh crispness.

She swung her top around on the end of its string, watching Façade with a critical eye.

“I guess you could say I’m plan _Bee_ ,” she replied finally with a hint of a smirk, just as Chat landed next to her, “But please…call me Vespa.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vespa is Wasp in Italian. A creative, clever reviewer in the comments suggested using an Italian name for Chloe's new superhero persona as a form of word association for civilians in Paris with Lila's akumatization. That way, her being a dishonest liar is cemented in people's minds through the connection of the first time the new bee hero appeared.
> 
> If Chloe is going to pull off pretending to be someone else without anyone figuring out who she is, she needs to change her manner of speaking. Normally she is a very whiny, loud and bold speaker, blurting out what's on her mind at the drop of a hat and with no decorum. In order to keep people from recognizing her, she'll have to be more concise, collected...prim and reserved while still confident. 
> 
> So I have her channeling her butler when he is acting professional. Lol.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter while very paranoid and irritated; there's a freaking spider somewhere in my bed and it bit me seven times in the shoulder in the course of five minutes. 
> 
> Anywho, thanks for all the awesome reviews, as usual. It makes me so happy reading them. 
> 
> If anyone is still looking to see what Vespa looks like, I couldn't upload it right, but I think someone managed to get the picture into the comment section of the last chapter.

* * *

“A new Bee?” Rena questioned, looking between Ladybug and the yellow clad hero before them.

 

“Technically Vespa means wasp,” Vespa replied, “I think our akuma will find that rather fitting; I’m feeling a bit waspish at the moment.”

 

Façade glared at Vespa.  Well, the Lila head did, Mrs. Rossi just looked relieved that her daughter had stopped attacking everyone for the moment.

 

“Of course Ladybug would bring in more heroes,” Lila snapped, “She’s too cowardly to face me on her own.”

 

Vespa tsked, “Giving how much of a thorn you’ve been in her side with all your outlandish tales about her, I rather think she’s brought us out to ensure she doesn’t wring your neck.”

 

Ladybug bit back a chuckle; doing so certainly was tempting.

 

“So wait,” Rena said, “What about Queen Bee?”

 

Chat shrugged sheepishly, “She…retired?”

 

Vespa folded her hands behind her back, the spinning top swinging back and forth from its string behind her, “Ms. Bourgeois has endangered herself enough dealing with this…” she glanced over at Lila, “Nuisance,” she said with a supercilious sneer, “She has her safety to think about, as well as the well-being and reputation of her family.  Can’t have politicians connected to vigilantism, now can we?”

 

“Consider me a replacement,” she finished primly.

 

Lila snarled, “You or Chloe; it doesn’t matter.  I can still take you down.”

 

She took a menacing step towards the new hero.

 

“Vespa watch out,” Ladybug warned.

 

Vespa held up a hand, wagging a finger.

 

“Ah-ah-ah,” she tutted, “I wouldn’t recommend facing me head on.  Surely you know enough about Paris’s heroes to know what the bee miraculous does.”

 

She presented the top again, swinging it in front of her like a lasso, “Bees sting, Lila.  Especially when threatened.”

 

“They also are known to die after they sting,” Lila growled, leveling a yellow beam at Vespa.

 

Vespa spun the top out, allowing it to pull her out of the way in a flash. 

 

“You’ll have to do better than that,” she taunted the akuma, “I can move faster than even Ladybug.  If you can’t catch her then there’s no hope of catching me.”

 

Lila snarled, “We’ll just see about that!” she shot off another beam, but the trajectory was off thanks to her mother’s interference.

 

Vespa landed from another jump, regarding the akumatized villain with disdain, “It’s funny; there’s a saying about how useful two heads are, but in this case it seems it’s only slowing you down.”

 

Ladybug had to admit she was impressed. Chloe appeared to have refigured her spoiled arrogance into something sophisticatedly condescending.  With a surprising amount of poise and collectedness, she utilized the air of superiority her mother possessed without the whiny, hotheadedness for which both Bourgeois women were known.  It was like she was a completely different person.  Clearly she’d taken the mission to reinvent herself to heart.

 

And the new hero she’d become was doing a fine job if getting under Façade’s skin.

 

“The new bee’s good,” Rena commented as Façade split her time between chasing Vespa and attacking the other heroes at random; Lila must be hoping to catch one of them off guard at some point, “How’d you convince Chloe to give up being Queen Bee?”

 

“She showed a surprising amount of maturity,” Ladybug stated, using her yo-yo to propel her and Rena out of the way of an attack.

 

Rena didn’t look convinced, “yeah, but she loved being a hero.  I find it hard to believe she would let someone else take the spotlight.”

 

“Don’t you mean Beelieve?” Chat asked as he somersaulted over to them to avoid another beam.

 

Ladybug fixed Chat with her most unimpressed glare, “You used that pun already.”

 

“There’s only so many bee jokes out there, Bugaboo,” Chat replied cheekily, “Gotta work with what I have.”

 

A beam shot their way sent them scattering in different directions.

 

“Got any ideas?” Chat asked as he flipped away from Ladybug just as a flash of yellow hit the wall behind them.

 

“Working on it,” Ladybug answered.

 

“Might be time for a Lucky Charm,” Vespa pointed out, gliding past them on her spinning top, “Just a suggestion.”

 

“Oh, right,” Ladybug threw her yo-yo into the air, “Lucky Charm!” 

 

In a flash of light, an item fell from the sky and landed into Ladybug’s hands.

 

Ladybug was at a loss, “What is this?  A figurine?”

 

Chat darted past her as he dodged another of Façade’s attacks, “looks like two monkeys.”

 

Indeed it was, two little wooden monkeys attached on one platform, their poses differing from each other.

 

“How is this supposed to help us?” Ladybug asked aloud, completely at a loss.

 

Rena leaped over, “Hey, I think my dad has a statue like this.  But this one’s missing a monkey.”

 

“It’s hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil,” she explained, pointing at the statue, each monkey covering one part of their heads, “Though this one is missing ‘see’ one.”

 

“So all we’re left with is hear no evil…” Ladybug said slowly, looking around the room for an idea of what to do, “And speak no evil…”

 

Her eyes fell on Façade.  The Lila head kept snarling and spitting as she chased Vespa, throwing beam after beam at the hero while she doubled down on the lies Vespa called her out on.

 

The Mrs. Rossi head looked miserable, pleading with her daughter to stop, trying in vain to regain control of their shared hands. 

 

Occasionally, the yellow light flickered blue with Mrs. Rossi’s efforts.

 

“That’s it,” she exclaimed.

 

“Vespa,” Ladybug called out to the bee hero, “Make her mad.”

 

Vespa back flipped out of the way of another beam, grabbing a piece of stale bread from the cafeteria floor to chuck at Façade, “I’m already making her mad!”

 

Ladybug shook her head, “That’s not who I’m talking about.”

 

Vespa shot Ladybug a perplexed look, an expression made humorous by her hanging upside from a light fixture she’s leaped onto.   Curiously, her eyes darted over to Façade.  Her gaze flitted over the snarling Lila head, landing on the sniffling, tearful Mrs. Rossi.

 

Understanding light up her eyes.

 

She turned to Ladybug with a wink, “Consider it done.”

 

Vespa raced around the room, doing somersaults and twists through the air like a dancer, she did a marvelous job of making Façade angrier, the Lila head becoming messier with her aim as her temper got the better of her, Mrs. Rossi’s head becoming more distraught.

 

“Just wait,” Lila seethed, “Just you wait…”

 

A rogue beam hit the cafeteria tray line, sending food flying everywhere and forcing Vespa to grab a nearby tray and shield herself.

 

“Where are your manners?” she commented, lowering the tray to sneer in disgust at the smeared pasta sauce dripping from it, “You’re a little too old for tantrums, don’t you think?”

 

“Shut up!” Lila cried, going red in the face, “Y-you stupid bitch!”

 

Vespa feigned shock, a hand on her chest, “Such language!  What would you’re mother think?”

 

“Better yet,” she said, a devious smirk slipping onto her face, “Let’s ask her.”

 

“Let’s not!” Lila bit back, her hands slapping onto the sides of her head to prevent her from switching around with her mother’s head.

 

“This needs to end, Lila,” Mrs. Rossi plead, “This isn’t who you are!”

 

“I think you’ll find this is exactly who she is,” Vespa informed the distraught woman, “The daughter you care for is little more than another act she’s put on to keep the truth from you.”

 

Mrs. Rossi blinked back tears, “That can’t be true.”

 

“It isn’t,” Lila lied, still trying to hold her and her mother’s heads in place.

 

Ladybug landed nearby, “It is true.  Lila has probably been lying to you for years.”

 

“Not my little girl…” Mrs. Rossi denied feebly.

 

“Don’t listen to them,” Lila shouted furiously.

 

Ladybug gestured for Vespa to continue, pointing at Façade’s hands.  A faint blue was starting to emit from them.

 

Catching on, Vespa continued to pile on the brutal honesty.

 

“She lied to your face,” she pushed, “Took advantage of your trust; abused it.”

 

Mrs. Rossi fought back the tears, “No…”

“She endangered you and herself,” Rena joined in, “Made herself a target by claiming to be Ladybug’s friend, put your whole family in danger.”

 

“Stop…” Mrs. Rossi begged.

 

“Shut up, all of you,” Lila yelled.

 

“And the worst part is,” Chat said sternly, “She doesn’t even feel bad about what she’s done.  This is who your daughter is.  She’ll never change.”

 

“I’ll make her change!” Mrs. Rossi screamed.  The blue around her hands became blinding.

 

Lila realized a second too late what was happening, “No!”

 

Before she could wrench her hands away, the blue light engulfed her head, Lila letting out a terrifying, enraged shriek.

 

When the light cleared, Lila looked very much the same, still fused into a nightmarish monstrosity with her mother.  She glanced at her hands, smoothed them down her outfit, inspecting herself.  Nothing seemed different or changed in anyway.

 

“Do you think it worked?” Vespa asked curiously.

 

Ladybug narrowed her eyes, “Only one way to find out.”

 

“Hey Lila!” she called out, “Do you really know Jagged Stone?”

 

Lila glared at Ladybug, furious that such an insect dared mock her. 

 

 _‘Of course I do,’_ was what she wanted to say, but instead when she opened her mouth out fell something completely the opposite.

 

“Of course not.  I’ve never even met the guy.”

 

Lila clapped a hand over her mouth, horror in her eyes.

 

 _‘I didn’t mean that,’_ she tried to say, instead, she said, ‘I didn’t mean any of it.  It was all lies.”

 

Ladybug felt a triumphant smirk threatening to bloom across her face, “It worked.”

 

She cleared her throat, throwing a devious grin to her teammates, “But Lila, I thought you saved his kitten.”

 

 

“H-he n-n-never had a— _ngh_...kitten,” Lila bit out, struggling with every truth to twist it in the lies she’d grown so fond of as of late, “An-anyone can f-figure that ouuut— _raugh_ —he’s never m-mentioned a c-c-cat!”

 

Rena stepped forward, glaring harshly at Façade, “Tell everyone what you tried to do to Marinette.”

 

Lila clamped her hands over her mouth, trying to suppress the honesty dying to burst force.  She trembled all over from her efforts.

 

“Tell the truth, Lila,” Mrs. Rossi demanded, reclaiming use of the hands.

 

 _‘No!’_ Lila thought helplessly as the hands were dragged away from her face.

 

“I threatened her!” she blurted out, her mouth refusing to obey, “S-she knew the truth!  Got in my way!  I promised to turn everyone against her, t-that I’d lie about her and make everyone hate her.”

 

“I’m jealous of her,” Lila confessed, furious as her traitorous lips bleated out the sickening truth she wouldn’t even admit to herself, “Jealous of Ladybug.  Everyone loves them because they’re nice or talented, people think so highly of them.”

 

“It makes me sick to see people fawn over them,” Lila growled out, infuriated, “Why do they get to be popular?  Why can’t it be me?  Why shouldn’t it be me?  I want to be popular…and I want them to drop off the face of the earth so no one pays any more attention to them!”

 

Vespa scoffed in disgust, “You’re pathetic.  Ladybug and Dupain-Cheng are liked because they’re good.  They _do_ good.  People flock to them because of how kind they are.”

 

“It’s like the saying goes,” Vespa stated, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, sweeties.  You’re too lazy to even put in the effort to be genuinely nice.  Or maybe that’s why you make up stories of kindness; because you don’t have a decent bone in your body.”

 

“T-that’s not…” Lila gritted her teeth, but the words slipped through regardless, “I-it’s true.”

 

Chat joined in, “You’re just an insecure, jealous, entitled brat…aren’t you, Lila?”

 

“That’s… _ngh_ —yes!” Lila bit out.

“You’re nothing special,” Rena cajoled tauntingly, “That’s why you target people like Marinette.  Because they’re everything you’ll never be.”

 

“Y-you’re right!” Lila growled low in her throat, “Stop it!”

 

“And you were going to use you’re façade powers on Marinette to make her someone awful and then tell everyone that was the real her,” Ladybug said, dealing the killing blow, “So that you could save face. Isn’t that right?”

 

“YES!” Lila screeched out, glaring with all of the hatred that she could possibly muster at the spotted hero.  Panting, heaving, she wished with all her might that Ladybug would burst into flames, explode in a pile of ash or vanish before her very eyes; that’s how much she despised her.

 

Whispers were what snapped her out of her red haze, forcing her to take in her surroundings.

 

Students and staff peeked out from doorways and windows, peering at her with wide, horror filled eyes.

 

“N-n…” Lila took a step back, “I…I didn’t mean to say it out loud…”

 

The whispering grew louder, people staring at her in disgust and contempt.  The gleam of light off plastic and glass drew her attention to the phones recording in many peoples’ hands. 

 

The truth was out there, streaming for all of Paris to see.

 

Lila shrieked in fury, grabbing two tables and hurling them in rapid succession at the bystanders gawking at her.

 

It was only Ladybug and Vespa’s quick reflexes that saved everyone, their yo-yo and spinner snagging on table legs and deftly throwing them in the opposite direction.

 

“Show’s over, folks,” Vespa snapped, directing her stern gaze to the staff and students, “Civvies need to vacate the premise.  _Now_!”

 

No one needed telling twice, everyone falling and tripping over themselves and each other to scramble down the hall to safety.

 

“Why were they even still here?” Vespa asked in exasperation, “Is a post to social media really worth dying for?”

 

Rena cringed discreetly, pointedly not looking at anyone, making Ladybug smirk.

 

Any humor was sucked from the room as Façade let out a vicious, animalistic roar.

 

“You did this!” Lila screamed pointing at Ladybug, “If you’d never gotten involved, none of this would have happened.”

 

Chat raised a brow.

 

“This wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t always lied,” he said turning to Ladybug in confusion, “I thought the beam made her tell the truth.”

 

“In Lila’s warped reality, this is her truth,” Ladybug said grimly, “In her mind, she’s never at fault.”

 

Lila continued to seethe and rage, blasting beam after beam at them as the heroes dodged.

 

“This is all _your_ fault,” she yelled at Ladybug, a maddeningly gleam in her eye, “You and Marinette.” 

 

She paused, huffing and puffing, spittle hanging from her lips.

 

“I may not be able to fight you…” she said, an unhinged look overtaking her face, “I may not be able to twist the truth now like I planned…but if I can’t blame Marinette, I can at least do away with her!”

 

She darted for the door.

 

“No!” Rena yelled, leaping at Façade.  She had to stop Façade, the urge to protect her best friend overriding everything else.

 

Growling the akuma threw out her arm, clipping Rena in the stomach and sending her hurtling through a window with force that would be surprising on a normal person.

 

“Rena!” Ladybug cried out, worry twisting her stomach.  The miraculous powers would protect Alya, right?  They always had before.  Still, seeing a friend smash through a windowpane was had to watch.

 

Chat grabbed her arm before she could rush to their teammate’s side.

 

“She’s fine,” he assured his Lady, “We’ve taken worse hits before.”

 

“Like the one you took earlier?” Vespa quipped, managing to get her spinner wrapped around one of Façade’s ankles to trip her.

 

Chat threw a deadpanned expression her way.

 

“Chat’s right,” Ladybug conceded, “Rena’s fine.  I can heal any damage later.  But we have to protect everyone else right now.”

 

“Well, feel free to jump in and help,” Vespa ground out, tugging with all her might as Façade actually tried to claw her way towards the door like some maddened beast, “She’s stronger than she looks!”

 

Ladybug lassoed her yo-yo around Façade’s wrist, preventing the akuma from reaching for the spinner twisted around her ankle. 

 

Racing to the opposite end of the room, Ladybug dragged Façade’s hand up and out to the side.  Vespa circled round the other way and pulled Façade’s captured leg straight.  The combine efforts of the girls made it impossible for Façade to sit up or shake off their hold.

 

“Good teamwork, ladies,” Chat complimented, coming to stand over Façade.

 

He leveled his baton at Lila’s chest to pin her in place.

 

“No funny business now,” he warned with a playful wag of his finger, “let’s see about getting that keychain off you.”

 

“Don’t you dare!” Lila snarled, thrashing to the best of her ability.

 

Chat pinned her more firmly, “Now, now, let’s be reasonable here.  Akuma orange is a terrible look for you.  Let me just take this nasty little akumatized object off you and we can get things back to normal…”

 

Chat reached for the keychain, keeping a wary eye on Lila should she try anything.  He expect her to thrash some more, to kick and scream. 

 

It was therefore rather unsettling when Lila merely smirked at him and pressed herself harder against the floor.

 

Chat narrowed his eyes, “What are you—”

 

“H-help…” came a feeble, breathless voice from beneath Lila, “C-can’t…breathe…”

 

Chat’s eyes flew open in alarm, “You’re smothering you mother?!”

 

“What?!” squawked Vespa.

 

Ladybug blanched, “She wouldn’t!”

 

The lessened slack from the heroes was all Lila needed. Slamming her head up, she head-butted Chat and sent him crashing to the floor, clutching his head in pain.

 

Wrapping her leg and arm twice more in the slack strings confining her, Lila gave both a sharp, forceful tug and sneered as the two heroines stumbled forward, Vespa nearly clocking her head on an overturned table.

 

“Guess two heads do have their perks,” Lila said as she gathered both strings up in her hands, “Makes for a decent scapegoat at least.”

 

With herculean strength, she whipped around, sending both supers flying into the wall.

 

“My lady!” Chat cried in shock.  He turned furious eyes towards Façade.

 

“Ah-ah!” Façade tutted, holding up a hand.  Her other arm was stretched up over her shoulder, clutching Mrs. Rossi by the neck, “Wouldn’t want me to hurt mummy dearest, would you?  After all, she’s innocent in all this.”

 

The disgust was evident on Chat’s face, revulsion mingling with righteous anger on his face with such ferocity any sane person would have cowered, “You’d hurt your own mother?”

 

“She got in my way,” Lila growled, not even trying to fight the truth beams hold over her anymore, “Mothers should stand by you, yes?  So what if I lied?  She doesn’t know my classmates, so it shouldn’t matter to her what I say to them.  She should have stayed out of the way.”

 

“L-Lila…” Mrs. Rossi croaked.

 

Chat glowered at Lila, “Your lies were causing trouble for her too.  It could have gotten her in trouble at work.”

 

“Only until I told her boss that I made it up,” Lila defended, “I doubt he would have held the fictional stories of a teenager against her mother.  And it wasn’t like he would have ever spoken to my class, so it wouldn’t matter to confess to him.  Mom would keep her job and I’d keep my empire.   It would have been fine.”

 

“What about the people on the blog,” Ladybug challenged, getting up from the heap she and Vespa fell in, “People were saying awful things about her; accusing her of being a bad mother due to all the tales about you putting yourself in danger.”

 

Lila laughed, cold and harsh, “Who cares what they think?  They’re nobodies!  A bunch of faceless, nameless strangers online who believe anything you say.  As if they matter when their own lives are so pathetic that they flock to a work of fiction just to live vicariously through others online.”

 

Ladybug shook her head, “You’re the worst.”

 

“That’s a matter of perspective,” Lila stated, “Hawkmoth thinks I’m one of the best.  And as soon as I get your miraculous, he’ll reward me beyond my wildest dreams.  I’ll have fame and fortune, and the world bowing at my feet.  And Adrien will be mine.”

 

Ladybug’s eyes hardened, “Don’t you dare touch him.”

 

Lila laughed, “Still hung up on him, I see.  Too scared to tell him how you feel, you insect?  Content with hiding behind the mask?”

 

Chat stared at Ladybug, mystified, “You like—”

 

Ladybug threw her hand out, halting Chat’s inquiry, “Not now, Chaton.”

 

“I’ll admit, things were looking a little grim there for a minute,” Façade said, smirking sinisterly at the heroes, “I was beginning to wonder if you could be beaten.”

 

“But it seems I’ve found my trump card,” she wrapped both hands around her mother’s neck, “Surrender your miraculous or she breathes her last breath.”

 

“If you choke her, you choke yourself,” Vespa pointed out, “You share the same neck.”

 

Lila smirked, “Who said anything about choking?”

 

She drew one of her pointed, claw-like fingers across her skin, drawing blood.

 

The others gasped; they hadn’t realized her nails when that sharp.

 

“Maybe I’ll just cut her off my neck,” Lila threatened, “And have this body all to myself.”

 

Ladybug searched her brain for a way out of this, “What do we do?”

 

“Any chance we can beat her with the monkeys?” Vespa asked dourly, referencing the lucky charm.

 

Ladybug shook her head, “She could kill her mother before we reached her.  We’re at a stalemate.”

 

Chat looked helplessly at his lady, “We can’t really think of surrendering.”

 

“But we can’t stand by and let her kill her mother,” Ladybug argued.

 

“Couldn’t your lucky charm bring her back?” Vespa pointed out.

 

Ladybug worried her lip between her teeth, “It doesn’t change that we would have stood by and let her kill someone just to give us an opening to win.”

 

“Exactly,” Lila cackled, “How would you live with yourself if you didn’t prevent it somehow?  Answer: you couldn’t, because Ladybug will always be a wishy-washy goody-two-shoes.”

 

“Better a goody-two-shoes than a raging bitch,” came a sarcastic mutter.

 

“Shut up!” another voice hissed, “Are you trying to get us killed?!”

 

Everyone’s gaze—including Façade’s—fell to the far corner of the room.  Crouched under the table were two very familiar figures.

 

Chloe cursed, “Great, she spotted us.  This is all your fault Cesaire.”

 

Alya glared at Chloe, phone still raised and pointed at the action, “You didn’t have to come with me, you know.”

 

Chloe scoffed, “She clearly hates you more than she hates me; you’re Mari-trashes best friend.  I figured I could use you as a shield…or a bargaining chip.”

 

Chat looked back and forth between Vespa and the Chloe under the table, “How in the world…?”

 

“Bargaining chip?!” Alya’s eyes flashed angrily, “You little—”

 

“So nice of you two to join me,” Lila said menacingly, advancing on the pair.

 

“I-it’s over, Façade,” Alya said with false bravado.  She held up her phone, “It’s all over my blog; Rossi’s a Liar.  Everyone will know the truth.”

 

“Not if Hawkmoth wins,” Lila shot back lazily, “With the power of the cat and ladybug miraculous combined, he can make it so this whole day never happened, I’m sure.”

 

She tightened her grip on her mother’s head when she spotted Ladybug stepping closer, “No sudden moves, Ladybug.”

 

Directing her attention back to the noisy pair under the table, she smirked, “I was hoping for Marinette, but maybe taking out her friends will teach her a lesson for crossing me.”

 

“W-we’re not afraid of you,” Alya lied.

 

“Speak for yourself,” Chloe snapped, “I’m out of here!”

 

“Chloe no!” Alya cried, horrified as the blonde recklessly darted out from under the table and made a mad dash for the door.

 

“Too slow!” Façade sneered.  Rushing forward, she was halted by a loud cry.

 

“Leave them alone!” Marinette called out from a door on the other side of the room, “It’s me you want.”

 

“Princess, get out of here,” Chat cried frantically.

 

Seeing herself standing there in civilian form, things suddenly made a lot more sense to Ladybug. 

 

 _‘Ah,”_ she thought, _‘So that’s what’s going on…’_

 

 “Marinette,” Lila growled, “Come to accept your fate?”

 

“Only if you leave my friends alone,” Marinette bargain.

 

“Girl, no!” Alya cried in dismay, “Don’t do it.  She’ll kill you!”

 

“I can’t let you get hurt,” Marinette said impassionedly.  She took a step forward.

 

“Marinette, stay back!,” Chat made to run to her, but was held back by Vespa, “Let me go!” 

 

“We can’t risk fighting her while she has her mother hostage,” Vespa warned, though something about her voice didn’t indicate much worry on her part.

 

“That’s right!” Lila taunted, “Whatever will you do now?  Save my mother, or Marinette?”

 

Ladybug placed her head in her hands, “Oh, what do I do?!”

 

“Think of something, m’lady!” Chat begged.

 

“Too late!” Lila said suddenly.  Quick as a flash, she charged Marinette and before anyone could stop her, she slashed her hand across the girl’s chest.

 

“No!” Chat all but screamed, fighting uselessly in Vespa’s grip.

 

Marinette screamed in agony…and then poofed into smoke.

 

Chat stood dumbfounded, “I-it was fake?”

Ladybug smiled at Chat, “I’d never let her hurt your friends, kitty.”

 

Lila blinked, “What?”

 

Turning back around, she saw Alya smirking at her, the place where Chloe once stood now empty but for a bit of fading smoke.

 

“You clearly aren’t as smart as you think you are, Lila,” Alya said teasingly, a snide smile on her face.  Gone was the cowering girl from moments ago, “You never think out your lies, you leave your stories riddled full of holes, you underestimate your enemies and—”

 

Alya suddenly went up in a poof of smoke, vanishing into thin air.

 

“And you forgot that one of us is good at ‘making things up’ too,” came Rena Rouge’s voice. 

 

“What?” Lila cried whirling around just as the fox hero ripped the keychain from her hip, “No!”

 

“Venom!” Vespa attacked, her spinner stinging Façade in the back and rendering her immobile.

 

Vespa waved a hand over Façade’s Lila face, fighting back a smug laugh as the villain’s eyes swiveled back and forth angrily in her skull.

 

“Took you long enough,” she quipped to Rena.

 

Rena rolled her eyes, “I prefer to call it fashionably late.”

 

Chat looked around, “Wait, what?”

 

Rena waved her flute at Chat, “Mirage, remember?  The best distraction for Lila was some of her prime targets.”

 

Chat turned to Ladybug, “And you knew about this?”

 

Ladybug shook her head and shrugged, “I had no idea that was their plan.  It took me a bit to catch on myself.”

 

She looked at the other two, “When did you come up with it?”

 

Rena shrugged, “We’ve all been running around the cafeteria shouting at each other.  I passed Vespa like…I don’t know, six times?  With all the yelling, Lila couldn’t make out what we were saying.  We hashed it out in passing mostly.”

 

She grimaced, “Glad Chloe wasn’t here to see this.  She’d be pissed that I used even an illusion of her as bait.”

 

Vespa smirked, “I think she’d be hard pressed to argue with you when she literally used herself as bait today.”

 

“Good point,” Rena conceded, “Girl’s probably still griping over her broken nail from it too.”

 

Vespa rolled her eyes, “I’m sure she’s not that bad.”

 

“Trust me, she is,” Rena insisted.

 

Vespa narrowed her eyes at Rena, before turning her glare to a snickering Chat.

 

“Well, I for one am glad that was all an illusion,” he said.

 

“I bet you are,” Vespa said, placing a hand on her hip, “Wouldn’t want anyone to hurt your precious princess, now would we?”

 

Chat faltered, “I-I didn’t call her that.”

 

Rena got that excited gleam in her eyes that Alya did when stumbling upon an enticing scoop, “You did!  You called Marinette ‘Princess’,  Chat…do you have a crush on a civilian?”

 

“N-no!” Chat said quickly, perhaps too quick, “We’re just acquaintances.”

 

Ladybug couldn’t resist teasing him, “I don’t know…that sounded pretty heartfelt before.”

 

He turned to Ladybug beseechingly, “You’re the only one for me, bug.”

 

Ladybug giggled, patting Chat on the head, “As if you don’t flirt with all the pretty girls.”

 

“I don’t,” Chat refuted, giving her kitten eyes, “Just you.”

 

“And Marinette,” Rena muttered, making the girls laugh.

 

Chat glared mutiniously at Rena.

 

Vespa cleared her throat, “Not to put a damper on the fun, but venom won’t last forever.  We might want to purify this akuma before she snaps out of it.”

 

“Right,” Rena tossed Ladybug the keychain.

 

Snapping the keychain in half, Ladybug drew her yo-yo and swung it at the escaping akuma, “Time to de-evilize!”

 

“Bye, bye, Little Butterfly,” she said merrily as the purified creature flew off.

 

Retrieving the lucky charm, she held out the monkey statue to her teammates, “Want to help me do the honors?”

 

Smiling, the other heroes placed a hand on the figurine and hefted it into the air.

 

“Miraculous Ladybug!” they all cried,

 

A swarm of ladybugs descended over everything, reverting damage to its pristine form, and putting everything to rights.

 

It swept over the frozen Façade and when the magic finally faded, Lila and her mother sat dazed in its place.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me AGES to figure out what to use as a lucky charm for this. Like, in the show they can be so abstract and the last thing you'd expect and how she works out how to use them looks like some shit out of the old show MacGyver. So I needed something that would require some of that creativity in Ladybug's thought process. 
> 
> The level of evil Lila stooped to in this chapter felt right to me. I mean, even when she wasn't akumatized she was willing to do whatever it took to destroy Ladybug even if it meant leaving Paris unprotected and at the mercy of Hawkmoth. That doesn't strike me as someone who has much of a conscience. I honestly think she'd try something against her mother if she felt the older woman got in her way; she's that selfish.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone. 
> 
> You know it was really interesting seeing you all debate Lila's mindset in the last chapter. The discussion of whether she falls under the category of a sociopath, a psychopath, or both was fun to read. It does my heart good to see my story has you all so invested. 
> 
> Lila does strike me as someone who would sell her own mother if it benefited her. She's all about getting her way at any costs. Someone who doesn't care about consequences doesn't have a lot of lines they won't cross. In 2019 it's well known that bullying--including but not limited to harassment, threats, manipulation, and isolation--can and have caused countless suicides and even school shootings. The fact that Lila cares nothing for the harm she creates and what harm it could lead to speaks volumes of her character.

* * *

“Pound it!” Ladybug and Chat said at the same time. They raised their fists and looked expectantly at their teammates.

 

Rena was more than willing to join in, but Vespa hesitated.

 

“Come on, Vespa,” Ladybug encouraged, “You’re part of the team.”

 

Something flickered in Vespa’s sclera blacken eyes, something possibly like relief or maybe happiness.

 

Relenting, Vespa stuck her hand out, bumping fist with the other three heroes.

 

“There, was that so hard?” Chat asked teasingly.

 

“I’m sorely tempted to start bringing a spray bottle to these fights to spritz you with,” Vespa deadpanned.

 

Rena chuckled, “I think I like the new girl.”

 

“You and me both,” Ladybug agreed. She laughed with Chat Noir’s ears drooped, “Don’t be like that, Kitty. You know I’m only teasing.”

 

“Yeah I know,” Chat said, ears popping back up, the ruse gone, “I just like practicing my kitten eyes on you. One day they’re going to work.”

 

Ladybug scoffed, “In your dreams.”

 

“You know Chat,” Rena said, a devious glint in her eye, “For being a cat, you really are a dog.”

 

Chat looked at her strangely, “What?”

 

“I’m just saying,” Rena went on nonchalantly, “You want Ladybug _and_ Marinette?” she elbowed him, “You dirty dog, you.”

 

Chat instantly went red, jumping back slightly with his hands out in front of him, “I already told you it’s not like that….Princess is just a nickname!”

 

“Sounds more like a pet name,” Vespa remarked.

 

“It’s not,” Chat insisted.

 

Neither Rena nor Vespa looked convinced.

 

“It isn’t!” Chat said in frustration.

 

“Alright everyone,” Ladybug interjected, “Enough teasing. Right now we’ve got to figure out what to do with them.”

 

She gestured to Lila and her mother, still sitting there dazed in the middle of the cafeteria.

 

Their formerly akumatized object was not too far them, repaired by the miraculous ladybugs. Ladybug went over and picked it up, examining it.

 

It appeared to be an ordinary picture keychain, a photo sealed between two frames of clear plastic. The photo inside was of Mrs. Rossi and Lila, the older woman holding her daughter close in a loving embrace as Lila’s arm stretched off screening, presumably to take the selfie of them. The bottom of the frame bore the words, ‘World’s Greatest Mom’ in pink rhinestones.

 

“I think I get why the akuma ultimately targeted Mrs. Rossi,” Ladybug said, showing her teammates the picture.

 

Rena whistled, “Oh, that’s got to stir up some painful emotions.”

 

Vespa took the photo from Ladybug, looking it over.

 

“I feel bad for her,” she admitted, “Mrs. Rossi, not that rat Lila. She clearly thought the best of Lila and it was all lies. It’s got to make her question how much of their own relationship is fake and what’s actually genuine.”

 

Chat nodded, eyes sad, “Lila did some pretty rotten things as it is, but I can’t even imagine being so hurtful to your own mom. They only want what’s best for you.”

 

“Lila doesn’t realize how lucky she has it,” Vespa said bitterly, “Some moms have absolutely no faith in their own kids and yet her mom trusted and believed in her and she exploited it. She doesn’t even appreciate how good she’s got it.”

 

Ladybug looked at Chat and Vespa sympathetically. It was well known that Chloe’s mother was cold and aloof even to her own family. She held her daughter to expectations she deliberately made it impossible for Chloe to reach and then ridiculed her for failing. Considering so much of Chloe’s personality seemed to be emulation of her mother’s spoiled, callous demeanor all in an effort to impress the woman, it had to hurt to see someone had all their mother’s affections and didn’t even want or cherish it.

 

Chat’s backstory was harder to gleam with their anonymity, but Ladybug did know by now that Chat’s mom didn’t seem to be in the picture anymore, and it was implied her absence wasn’t by choice. Just knowing others had moms they didn’t appreciate when he’d give anything to have his had to hurt greatly.

 

“Are we going to tell Mrs. Rossi what Lila did?” Rena asked, “Cause I’m not sure I want to. It would be like kicking her when she’s down.”

 

“We have to,” Ladybug said firmly, “If there is any chance someone witnessed it, then it’s only right that we tell her before she hears it from someone else.”

 

“Is it really necessary, though?” Vespa asked, “It was done while Lila was an akuma. All of them act pretty destructive and violent under Hawkmoth’s control.”

 

Ladybug stared sternly down at Lila as the girl blinked and blearily looked around, “Yes, but I truly wonder how much Lila is under his control when akumatized.”

 

She turned to the others, “Think about it; Hawkmoth controls his victims because they are just that, victims. They’re unwilling so he has to influence them, make them do what he wants.”

 

“Hawkmoth doesn’t need to brainwash or control Lila because she _willingly_ works with him,” Ladybug concluded, “Even if she doesn’t remember what she did once she’s purified, it doesn’t change that she willingly sought an akuma out knowing full well she would try to hurt people once transformed. She knew the danger and the risks it could inflict on others and still chose to be akumatized. I can’t in all fairness say for sure that Lila’s actions while akumatized…weren’t her own.”

 

Ladybug turned back Mrs. Rossi and Lila, “Her mother deserves to know the truth because she needs to know how dangerous her daughter is; I’m honestly not sure if she’s safe around Lila if that’s the lengths she will go to win.”

 

“So what do we do?” Chat asked.

 

Ladybug didn’t answer; honestly she didn’t know what to do yet.

 

“Wha…?” Mrs. Rossi was the first to rouse, looking around her groggily, rubbing her head, “What happened?”

 

Ladybug kindly offered her a hand, helping the woman to her feet, “You and your daughter were akumatized.”

 

Mrs. Rossi’s eyes went wide with shock.

 

“What?” she cried in disbelief. She looked around her in a panic, confusedly taking in the pristine cafeteria, “Wha…um…d-did I do anything?”

 

“I won’t lie to you, you did quite a number on the school,” Ladybug told her honestly, “But my powers fixed the damage. That’s how all akuma battles end.”

 

Mrs. Rossi nodded, along wearily, “O-oh…okay. Oh, dear…how could this have happened? I should have been more careful. I should have—Lila! Where is she?”

 

She whipped around, falling to her knees to grab her daughter by the shoulders just as the girl was coming out of her haze.

 

“Mmhm?” Lila groaned, squinting under the harsh florescent lights of the lunchroom, “What happened?”

 

“What do you think?” Rena snarked, “You got akumatized.”

 

“Again,” Vespa added peevishly.

 

“I…I did?” Lila adopted a very surprised and exaggeratedly disheartened expression, “Oh no! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I was just so upset and hurt. I-I should have tried to calm down so I wouldn’t attract an akuma, but I was just so sad and—”

 

“Save the theatrics,” Chat snapped, surprisingly harsh; he must really have been bothered by hearing what Lila did to Marinette, “We know this was no accident.”

 

“O-of course it was,” Lila fibbed, “I was taken advantage of by Hawkmoth.”

 

Vespa crossed her arms over her chest, “More like you took up a job he offered you.”

 

Lila’s shamefaced expression dropped momentarily, her eyes fixing on the new hero in annoyance and surprise, “And who are you.”

 

“None of your beeswax,” Vespa quipped, “But I’ll tell you who you are: Hawkmoth’s partner in crime.”

 

“I-I’m not!” Lila exclaimed, “This was all an accident; I never meant to hurt anyone.”

 

“Lila, don’t lie,” Mrs. Rossi demanded, “I saw you go after that akuma.”

 

Lila faltered, her innocent expression giving away to shock, “What?”

 

“I was there, remember?” Mrs. Rossi bit out, shaking her daughter by the shoulders, “You tore out of the school after it. I tried to stop you but you kept pushing me away.”

 

“T-that’s not what happened,” Lila lied lamely, “You-you must be mistaken.”

 

“Now you want to lie and tell me that I didn’t see it with my own eyes?!” Mrs. Rossi cried shrilly, “When will the deceit stop?”

 

Lila struggled in her mother’s grasp, “It really wasn’t like that…”

 

“You had a whole courtyard full of witnesses,” Chat told her, “They all saw you run towards the akuma. They reported it to the Ladyblog.”

 

Lila blanched, “It’s online?”

 

Ladybug nodded, “Anyone who reads the blog should know the truth by now, which means the police should be here shortly now that the akuma’s been taken care of.”

 

As if right on cue, the sound of sirens filled the air.

 

“ _Police?!”_ Lila squawked, “Is that really necessary?”

 

Ladybug cocked a brow, “What would you call appropriate measures for someone working with a terrorist?”

 

“You can’t arrest me!” Lila shouted

 

Vespa sneered at her, “Tell it to the judge.”

 

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Lila insisted.

 

“Multiple eyewitnesses would say otherwise,” Rena told her, “I’m sure many of them would love to give their statements as a ‘thank you’ for what your akuma did to them.”

 

Lila glared at Rena, hating the fox hero she could never be, “I have diplomatic immunity!”

 

“I’ll waive it…”

 

Lila whirled around to her mother, “What?”

 

“I’ll waive it,” Mrs. Rossi said quietly, staring off into space, “What good would it do you to go unpunished? You’ll never learn your lesson…”

 

“Mama, you don’t mean that,” Lila pleaded as the sounds of many stomping feet came down the hall, “It’s me! Lila, your little girl!”

 

Mrs. Rossi stared hollowly at her daughter, “Are you, though?”

 

Before Lila could respond, the doors to one end of the cafeteria burst open, Officer Roger Raincomprix leading the charge.

 

“Is everyone alright here?” he asked worriedly, “We were told the akuma was holed up in the lunchroom.”

 

“Taken care of, Officer Raincomprix,” Ladybug told him, “But I believe we still have an important matter on our hands.”

 

Roger nodded, his eyes falling on Lila.

 

“Yes, the precinct saw the blog report,” he said, frowning heavily, “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, young lady.”

 

“They’re all lying!” Lila blurted out, wresting herself from her mother’s hold and scrambling to her feet. She stumbled towards the police with her arms outstretched.

 

She latched onto Roger’s shirt desperately, “Whatever people said, they made it all up. I’m the victim here, Hawkmoth akumatized me!”

 

“From what I hear, it was of your own consent,” Officer Raincomprix said disapprovingly.

 

“That’s a lie!” Lila declared.

 

Chat tapped Ladybug on the shoulder, “You and Rena might want to get out of here pretty soon. You already used your special abilities. You’re…” he pointed at her ears, “Counting down.”

 

“Oh right,” Ladybug nodded, “I need to leave fast. There’s just something I need to take care of first.”

 

Approaching the police, Ladybug tapped Roger on the shoulder, drawing his attention.

 

“Officer Raincomprix, before I go there is something that needs to be brought to your attention,” Ladybug stated, “It is my belief that Lila has worked with Hawkmoth willingly before.”

 

“No I haven’t!” Lila cried out angrily, before turning to Roger, “She’s just lying to make me look bad; she’s always hated me!”

 

“I thought the blog said you were her closest friend,” one officer in the crowd pointed out.

 

Lila paused, caught in another lie, “Uh…”

 

Roger carefully detached Lila’s hands from his shirt, “These are serious allegations, Ladybug. Can you tell me your reasoning?”

 

“This is what I know,” Ladybug stated, “Lila’s first akuma form, Volpina, is the only akuma Hawkmoth ever made that makes illusions. She was definitely the one who caused that illusion of me and Chat on Heroes Day, as your daughter can attest to. And evidence from Lila’s mom would prove Lila wasn’t out of the country that day, so she had ample opportunity to be akumatized.”

 

“That doesn’t mean I did it willingly!” Lila snapped.

 

Ladybug glared at her, “No, but the fact that I never purified you that day is rather suspicious. It means Hawkmoth took the akuma off you himself and you never told anyone…if you really were an unwilling victim, why wouldn’t you have told anyone about it?”

 

“Um…”

 

Ladybug ignored her, turning to the crowd of students and staff starting to crowd around the police in the doorway, “Everyone, today has been a difficult day for you all. Many were turned into somebody they’re not; others were forced to share secrets about themselves that they never wanted shared. I know you all feel embarrassed and hurt right now, but know this: being yourself is nothing to ever be ashamed of.”

 

“Those of you forced to don a mask today, be glad in knowing that isn’t who you really are,” Ladybug went on, “And those of you who wear a mask daily out of fear, don’t hide yourselves. You deserve to be happy. Be yourselves, be silly, be creative, be dramatic. Just be _you_.”

 

Ladybug’s earrings beeped the second to last time.

 

“Bug out!” Ladybug called out. Grabbing Rena around the waist, she swung her yo-yo at an open window and pulled them out.

 

Chat turned to Vespa, “You used your powers too, right?”

 

Vespa waved him off, “Only at the last second. I still have time to kill. Besides, I want to see little miss fibber get her just desserts.”

 

{page break}

 

Heading to the nearest closet, Ladybug waited as Rena dropped her transformation and took off her miraculous.

 

“Thanks for calling on me, Ladybug,” Alya said with sincerity as she handed over her miraculous, “I was worried I’d lost the right to be your teammate. You know…because I let Lila use you for popularity.” She cringed.

 

Ladybug placed a hand on Alya’s shoulder, “You didn’t know she was lying. I’m only sorry that this might hurt your blog.”

 

Alya shrugged, “It’s not any less than I deserve. I didn’t check my sources, so I can’t hold it against my viewers if they stop trusting me after this.” She maintained a brave face, but her eyes were damp, “I intend to make a formal apology to my viewers and repost Lila’s interviews with links debunking _all_ her claims…after I apologize to Marinette again.”

 

“Something tells me she’s probably already forgiven you,” Ladybug said knowingly.

 

“Still, I want her to know I never meant to hurt her. She didn’t deserve any of this,” Alya wrapped her arms around herself, “I should go find her now, make sure she’s okay.”

 

Waving to Ladybug, Alya took off down the hall in search of her best friend.

 

Dropping her transformation, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, “today was more eventful than I expected.”

 

Tikki smiled encouragingly at her chosen, “But you handled it so well, Marinette. I’m so proud of you!”

 

Marinette grinned, “Thanks, Tikki…think we should check out what’s going on out there?”

 

“Best not to go in yet,” Tikki advised, “You still need Chloe to sneak away to give back the Bee miraculous.”

 

Marinette nodded, “Right. For now we’ll just take a little peek.”

 

Marinette crept back towards the cafeteria and peered through a window.

 

Inside, Lila was hissing and spitting up a storm as a police officer tried to lead her out the door.

 

“You can’t do this to me!” she shrieked, “I’m the daughter of two diplomats. Count them, two! I have diplomatic immunity!”

 

Mrs. Rossi stared unflinching at her daughter, “Which I already told you I will be revoking so you may face punishment.”

 

“This is crazy!” Lila shouted, “Everyone else is a liar, not me! Mama, I would never hurt you; Chat and this third rate hero are lying!”

 

‘Guess Chat told Mrs. Rossi that Lila tried to kill her,’ Marinette thought, feeling bad for the woman.

 

“I don’t want to hear anymore, Lila,” Mrs. Rossi said tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were red and wet, “Clearly I can’t trust what you say.”

 

“Mama, please!” Lila cried, struggling in the policewoman’s hold.

 

“What should we do with her?” One officer asked, “Even with diplomatic immunity lifted, technically she would fall under the jurisdiction of the Italian authorities, right?”

 

Officer Raincomprix scratched his head, “I’m not actually sure. I’ll have to ask the mayor or my superiors.”

 

“Well obviously she has to leave the country,” Vespa said firmly.

 

Everyone turned to look at her, “She does?”

 

Vespa scoffed, “She’s too pissed off to leave in Paris with Hawkmoth running around looking for negative emotions. Anyone who works with him willingly is far more dangerous than anyone he’s brainwashed into helping him. She’s a liability if she stays here. Therefore she needs to go.”

 

Lila made a noise of derision, “As if you can just—”

 

“That’s a good idea,” Mrs. Rossi said seriously.

 

Lila turned betrayed eyes to her mother, “Mama?!”

 

Mrs. Rossi wouldn’t look at her daughter, keychain clutched tightly in her fist, “Lila is a danger to everyone if she stays in Paris. What’s more, she’ll never learn her lesson is she just keeps looking for opportunities to get akumatized. The harsh reality is that Lila will never change if she stays here where someone encourages and rewards her actions.”

 

“Mama, you can’t seriously—”

 

“I’m sending Lila back to Italy,” Mrs. Rossi declared, “With police escort. Tonight.”

 

Officer Raincomprix frowned, “I’m not sure we can let her go so soon. There’s paperwork and legal jurisdiction and—”

 

“I assure you the embassy will grant the request,” Mrs. Rossi snapped sternly, struggling to hold her composure, “I can’t have my daughter stay here any longer and risk her turning into some kind of criminal.”

 

“Little late for that,” Vespa muttered. Chat shushed her.

 

As Lila was dragged away kicking and screaming, another commotion rang out in the hall.

 

“Charge!” Rose burst into the room, a trash can lid and a ruler in her hands. Behind her the rest of Bustier’s class followed sans Nino, Adrien, Chloe, and Alya, everyone holding random objects from field hockey sticks to aerosol cans.

 

“We’re here to stop the akuma!” Rose declared determinedly, a fierce fire in her eyes.

 

Chat snickered, “Got it taken care of already.”

 

Rose blinked, “You did?”

 

She glanced around the room, taking in the police and two heroes standing together, “Oh, that’s good. It took us a while to find what room the akuma was in. Where’s Ladybug?”

 

“And Lila,” Kim asked, scowling at the lying girl’s name.

 

“Already gone,” Vespa answered, “Lila is going somewhere she can’t hurt Paris or anyone in it.”

 

Everyone’s eyes fell on Vespa, just noticing the new hero.

 

“Who are you?” Mylene asked curiously.

 

Clicking her heels together and standing at attention, Vespa folded her hands behind her back, primly inclining her head towards the class, “I’m Vespa, the new Bee hero.”

 

“But what about Chloe?” Sabrina asked, “She’s always been the bee.”

 

“Chloe!” Rose exclaimed, remembering why they were here, “She and Marinette are still missing. We have to find them!”

 

Vespa placated them with a wave of her hands, “Ms. Bourgeois and Ms. Dupain-Cheng are safe. They were brought to a protected location earlier. Ladybug has left to let them know it’s okay to come out now.”

 

“As for Ms. Bourgeois’ hero work,” Vespa went on, turning to Sabrina, “It has come to her attention that revealing her identity was not the wisest decision. For the safety of her and those she cares about, it was mutually decided that she retire the bee miraculous and pass on the mantle to someone new.”

 

She bowed low in a sweeping gesture, “Vespa, at your service.”

 

“She gave it up,” Alix asked skeptically, “Just like that?”

 

“There’s only a 30% chance of Chloe doing something so considerate,” Max said.

 

Sabrina glared at the bespectacled boy, “Don’t say that! Chloe can be very nice. She defended Marinette, didn’t she?”

 

The class nodded.

 

“Chloe doesn’t want her parents or friends to get hurt,” Sabrina exclaimed impassionedly, “I think it is very thoughtful of her to give up her dream just to protect us.”

 

Chat risked a glance at Vespa, noting the black and yellow heroine looked so touched she might cry.

 

“Wisely said,” Vespa managed to get out, clearing her throat, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must be getting to Ladybug.”

 

Bowing again and giving Sabrina a gracious smile, Vespa raced from the room.

 

It didn’t take long for her to run into Marinette, “Pollen, buzz off.”

 

No longer Vespa, Chloe didn’t immediately take the miraculous out of her hair.

 

“Chloe?” Marinette asked warily.

 

“Give me a minute,” Chloe requested as Pollen flew into her open hands.

 

Chloe cupped Pollen in her hands and held her close.

 

“You did wonderful, My Queen,” Pollen praised.

 

“Thanks, Pollen,” Chloe replied happily. She looked to Marinette, “Got a cookie?”

 

Marinette fished one out of her purse and handed it over, which Chloe proceeded to give to Pollen.

 

“We’re very proud of you, Chloe,” Tikki said, munching on her own cookie.

 

Chloe gave Tikki a grateful smile, “Thanks…for you know, believing in me.”

 

Her eyes fell on Marinette, “Both of you.”

 

Marinette smiled.

 

“Think you’ll call on me again?” Chloe asked hopefully.

 

Marinette hummed, “Honestly, with Hawkmoth stepping up his game it might become necessity to start bringing you and the others in more.”

 

Chloe’s eyes lit up with relief, “Great! I mean…if you ever need me…”

 

She looked down at Pollen, “See you soon, okay?”

 

Pollen beamed at her, “Until next time, My Queen.”

 

Plucking the miraculous out of her hair, Chloe watched as Pollen disappeared in a flash, then she handed the comb to Marinette.

 

“I’m really glad I gave you a second chance,” Marintte said, “And it’s nice having someone to talk to about all this. Keeping it a secret all the time gets hard.”

 

“Ugh, don’t get all sentimental with me,” Chloe gagged, crossing her arms and looking away. There was no heat or venom behind her words, though, the corner of her mouth twisting upwards, pleased.

 

“Want to head back in?” Marinette asked.

 

Chloe sighed, “I suppose we should.”

 

“Hey, now that we have a minute,” Marinette asked as they walked back towards the cafeteria, “What was with you protecting Chat earlier? You seemed really worried about him.”

 

“So what?” Chloe asked defensively, “Isn’t that my job as a hero?”

 

Marinette shrugged, eyeing Chloe skeptically, “I’m just saying, it’s not like you to care about him.”

 

“I don’t,” Chloe insisted, “That’s utterly ridiculous. I just…if he was hurt who was going to save your sorry butt, hm? I was just trying to help an utterly useless alley cat.”

 

“Sure,” Marinette said dubiously.

 

Chloe shoved her, “Don’t you give me that look. I don’t care about that mangy cat!”

 

“He’s not mangy,” Marinette defended, “And for your information, he’s not useless. He’s very dependable and he’s very brave. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves.”

 

Chloe folded her arms over her chest, “Now who’s got a thing for the cat.”

 

Marinette sputtered, “I do not! We’re partners; just partners. Besides, you know I—” she glanced around warily before lowering her voice to a whisper, “You know I like Adrien. You found out at the movie premier.”

 

“Yeah, and the irony isn’t lost on me,” Chloe muttered.

 

“What was that?” Marinette asked.

 

Chloe shook her head, “Nothing. Let’s go tell the class you’re still alive.”

 

Walking into the cafeteria, their entrance instantly drew the attention of everyone inside. Chat was already gone.

 

“Marinette! Chloe!” Rose was on them in an instantly wrapping her arms around them both. Sabrina all but threw herself at Chloe.

 

“We were so worried,” Rose cried, tears in her eyes, “We turned around and you were gone. Where did you go?”

 

“Yeah it was like you were there one minute and then you were gone?” Juleka added.

 

“Where were you guys?” Ivan asked.

 

Marinette struggled to find an excuse, “Umm…”

 

“It was my idea,” Chloe announced, “I figured Lila would be after me and Marinette the most so I thought it would be best we hide somewhere else. That way she couldn’t find us and maybe if she saw we weren’t with you all she’d leave you alone.”

 

“That…was actually pretty smart,” Max noted.

 

Chloe glared at him, “You sound surprised.”

 

Max held up his hands, “No! I’m not, honest.”

 

“We came to look for you,” Rose explained to Marinette, “We were afraid Lila caught the two of you so we came to help.”

 

“With anything we could get our hands on,” Kim declared proudly.

 

Marinette felt tears welling in her eyes, “You guys…”

 

“Marinette!” A flash of red plaid and bushy hair flew past everyone and collided with the bluenette.

 

“Girl I was so worried!” Alya cried, arms a deathgrip around her best friend, “Were you safe? Lila didn’t catch you, did she?”

 

“Alya, I’m fine,” Marinette assured her, patting Alya on the back. She nodded to Nino as he came over and placed a hand on her arm in support.

 

“Girl, I’m so sorry,” Alya apologized, “I never should have trusted Lila without getting all the facts. Things wouldn’t have gotten this bad for you if I have actually checked my sources.”

 

Marinette squeezed Alya comfortingly, “Pretty sure Lila would have just gotten akumatized sooner if you found evidence on her. She’s not someone who handles not getting her way very maturely.”

 

“I still can’t believe we fell for her lies,” Alix fumed, “That girl is lucky she’s leaving Paris.”

 

“She nearly made us turn on Marinette,” Mylene fretted, “Our Everyday Ladybug. That would have been awful.”

 

Everyone looked at her shamefaced.

 

“We’re sorry Marinette,” Ivan apologized.

 

Kim nodded, “Yeah, we were jerks. We shouldn’t have shoved you aside for her.”

 

“You guys, it’s fine,” Marinette insisted.

 

Alya only held her tighter, “It’s really not.”

 

“Got to agree with Cesaire on this one,” Chloe joined in, “They all messed up.”

 

Nathan timidly raised his hand, “We’re still having that picnic, right? Because I think we need another ‘we appreciate Marinette’ party.”

 

The class erupted into cheers of agreement, all fully onboard for that plan.

 

“What I miss?” Adrien asked, walking into the room.

 

“Adrikins!” Chloe cried, rushing towards the model. Instead of latching onto him like she usually did though, she stopped in front of him.

 

“Are you okay?” She asked.

 

Adrien nodded, genuinely surprised by Chloe’s concern and restraint, “I am. I was worried about you though. Are you alright?”

 

Chloe nodded, eyes watering up, “I’m great.”

 

She carefully pulled Adrien into a hug.

 

“I’m glad you’re safe,” she whispered.

 

Adrien stood there stunned for a minute when Chloe stepped away; how had Chloe changed so much in a single battle? Did getting a second chance really have such a profound effect on her?

His quandary was cut short when his eyes landed on their resident fashion designer.

 

“Marinette!” Adrien cried, rushing forward. He clasped onto Marinette’s arms, looking her up and down, “Are you okay?”

 

Blushing, Marinette sputtered for a minute before Alya elbowed her, “Y-yup! You’re fine—I mean, _I’m_ fine!”

 

Her classmates snickered around her.

 

Adrien breathed out a sigh.

 

“What a relief,” he said, pulling Marinette in for a hug without thinking.

 

Marinette ‘meeped’ in panic.

 

“Okay, Sunshine Boy,” Alya intervened, taking pity on her friend, “Give her back to Mama Alya.”

 

“Sorry,” Adrien apologized, “Sorry. I was just really worried. And I felt bad; a lot of this is my fault because I didn’t reveal the truth about Lila. I know I was worried about embarrassing her, but there was no reason I couldn’t have just told you all about Lila and asked you guys not to make her feel bad. I didn’t have to keep quiet.”

 

He looked at Marinette fondly, “You’re one of the most important people in my life, Marinette. My first friend at school, someone who’s always been there for me and for everyone else. I don’t want you to get hurt, especially not because of me.”

 

Marinette’s looked like her brain had taken vacation from her body, staring at Adrien dreamily, “Mmm?”

 

“So cute!” Rose gushed.

 

Adrien blushed, remembering he had an audience, “Um, so yeah…just glad everyone’s okay.”

 

“Boy’s got it bad,” Alya muttered to Nino.

 

Nino nodded, “And he doesn’t even know it.”

 

Officer Raincomprix cleared his throat.

 

“I for one am certainly glad that everyone is unharmed—especially you, sweetie,” he added to Sabrina who was firmly latched to Chloe’s arm, not that the bossy girl seemed to mind for once, “But now that the danger is past, it might be best to go home for the day and let your families know you are alright.”

 

Everyone muttered sounds of agreement.

 

“After you put back your…weapons,” Raincomprix added sternly, “Young lady, just what were you planning to do with that?”

 

It was that moment that everyone noticed the aerosol can and candle lighter Alix was carrying around.

 

Alix shrugged sheepishly, lowering her arms, “Got them from the art room…”

 

“Lila’s a lying witch!” she defended when everyone continued to stare at her, “Ladybug would have undone all the damage anyway!”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly not sure if this is the end or if there will be one more chapter. If I do another chapter, I have no clue what it will be about at this point. We've covered just about everything already. 
> 
> I wanted the class to show they weren't going to sit idly by while classmates of theirs were potentially in danger, so Rose lead the charge in storming the school with whatever they could find. The imagery is humorous to me.
> 
> Review please :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> So before I get this chapter underway, I would like to thank everyone for sticking with me and giving this story so much support. It means so much to me. And to learn that there's even been a few stories and one shots inspired by this fic is just mind blowing. When I first started this fic I expected to just get a little bit of attentions, just some views and many a couple of comments. To think it turned out so successful, that's beyond my wildest dreams. You guys are so awesome!
> 
> Now onto the much appreciated epilogue.

* * *

On the Ladyblog, a new video sat in the center of the home screen, amassing at least a thousand views and counting within the first day it went on the site. A header hovered above the video player in large, bold font.

 

‘ **I MESSED UP’**

 

With a titled like that it was no wonder so many visitors and followers of the blog felt compelled to hit ‘play.’

 

_The clip opened on a bedroom, the light from the desk lamp giving the room a warm, comforting glow. A chair stood in the center of the room. After a few moments of some shuffling and the camera jostling, a girl with wavy, reddish brown ombre hair came onscreen and sat down._

 

“ _Hi, everyone,” she said, “It’s Alya—the Ladyblogger. Thanks for tuning in.”_

 

_She took a deep breath, “So I’m sure by now, you’ve seen that I reposted some interviews to the site, all with edited and updated content.”_

 

_As she spoke, the scene cut to some footage of her computer screen, the cursor scrolling over an interview entitled “Lila Rossi: Ladybug’s BFF”. Next to it in bold was the word_ _**‘debunked’** _ _._

 

_The scene cut back to Alya, “The reason for these updates, as I’m sure you’ve gathered from watching the video is that things said by my classmate—well…former classmate, I should say—were not factual true, in any sense of the word.”_

 

_Alya sighed._

 

“ _I messed up,” she confessed, “There’s no other way to word it. I chose not to check my sources and posted false information to the blog and there is no excuse for that.”_

 

_She raked a hand through her hair, “I don’t know what else to say other than I’m sorry,” she looked sincerely into the camera, contrition plain as day on her face, “It’s my responsibility to give you honest, well researched stories and I neglected that for the views. I let you all down…I let a lot of people down.”_

 

_Alya shifted on her chair, looking down at her hands, “I’m sure by now all of you have seen the footage of the most recent akuma attack, as well as the information posted along with it, including eye witness accounts and police statements.”_

 

_Another jumped edit, footage of Façade running a rampage through Dupont. Façade turned towards the camera and the camera angle dropped to the ground as whoever filming ducked behind a wall._

 

_As the footage played, Alya could be heard in a voiceover, “All of that_ is _true, the sources have been checked and I saw with my own eyes Lila’s true colors. Lila not only lied to me, to my class—to Paris…she also tried to ruin the reputation of one of the nicest, sweetest, most kind people I have ever known.”_

 

_The footage changed to a clip of a group of teens in the park, all seated on a checkerboard blanket surrounded by plates of food. Confetti and glitter coated the blanket—and in the case of one shorthaired blonde girl with big blue eyes, herself—and streamers hung from the closest trees along with balloons in various colors and shapes._

 

_The group was crowded around one girl in particular, a girl with blueish black hair in pigtails and bluebell eyes who laughed shyly and waved as the camera zoomed in on her._

 

“ _This is Marinette,” came Alya’s voiceover, “My best friend and truly one in a million. Some of you may recognize her name because she designed both a pair of sunglasses and an album cover for Jagged Stone, and various new sites will verify that if you do not believe me…not that I can blame you for being skeptical after I screwed up so bad.”_

 

_The camera cut back to Alya, holding her head in her hands._

 

“ _She knows Jagged Stone personally,” she said, her voice slightly muffled. She dropped her hands, slumping forward in the chair, “He adores her! And I didn’t even bother to listen to her when some stranger I hardly knew claimed to have songs written about themselves by the guy and that they saved his cat. His cat! He’s never owned one and a quick web search would have told me that.”_

 

_The scene switched back to the picnic, the pigtailed girl, Marinette, smiling happily as a girl in black, goth clothes and a redheaded boy hugged her and took a picture with one of their phones._

 

“ _Marinette knew Lila was lying,” Alya’s voiceover explained as the footage of the picnic rolled on, “She was smart enough to find it questionable that a girl claimed to know practically every famous person alive and yet provide not a single shred of proof…common sense I was too caught up in the hype to pay attention to.”_

 

“ _Instead…I accused her of being jealous,” Alya confessed, “I wrote off her worries and concerns because they weren’t what I wanted to hear. What I wanted to hear was that this girl was connected and famous and could get me interviews with Ladybug—whom I didn’t need Lila for because my own best friend whom I wrote off got me interviews with Ladybug before!”_

 

_The clip switched back to Alya for a moment, swallowing heavily and wiping her eyes, “Some friend and reporter I am.”_

 

_The video switched back to the gathering. A tall Asian boy made silly faces at the camera as it panned around, the glittered covered blonde girl giggling at his antics. A girl with pink hair chucked an apple at the boy before ducking behind a dark skinned, doe eyed boy in a red hoodie. Nearby a blue haired boy played a guitar, smiling in absentminded contentment._

 

“ _Lila didn’t like that Marinette knew the truth,” Alya’s voice went on, “She may try and claim her lying was just to ‘make friends’ but she had us stumbling all over ourselves to do things for her, like her dancing monkeys.”_

 

_Alya groaned, the camera cutting back to her in her room, pinching her brow, “She had us rearrange the classroom for a hearing impairment she never had. Carrying her stuff for her for health reasons that didn’t exist. People were doing her homework and assignments for her because we all believed she was missing class because of humanitarian work.”_

 

_Alya scoffed, “Turns out she doesn’t even have any humanity.”_

 

_The scene returned to the picnic._

 

“ _So Lila tried to hurt Marinette by turning people against her,” Alya told her viewers as the footage showed Marinette approaching another bluenette girl with short hair and a stern expression. Offering a timid, awkward smile, Marinette held out a plate with a sandwich on it._

 

_Some words were exchanged between the two, but the camera didn’t pick it up. After a few moments, the corner of the stern faced girl’s lips turned up and she took the proffered sandwich. Marinette beamed, relief painting her features before she led the girl to come sit with her on the blanket._

 

“ _Lila built herself up as this sweet, innocent person who gives to charity and helps the needy,” Alya’s voice stated, “Whenever Marinette questioned anything Lila said or tried to poke holes in the stories, Lila would cry and mope and make Marinette seem unreasonable.”_

 

“ _She even had us convinced that a napkin Marinette threw could have blinded one of our classmates—who wears glasses! Instead of getting hung up on that, we should have noticed that Lila’s supposed arthritis that kept her from carrying her own things only conveniently acted up after Marinette called attention to it. Seriously, she was perfectly find until it was pointed out that she’d caught the napkin with the bad hand!”_

 

“ _After she had us under her thumb, Lila switched tactics and claimed that Marinette was bullying her,” Alya said, “_ That _was the day of the akuma attack.”_

 

_The camera cut back to Alya yet again, the girl sighing, “We were thankfully skeptical; guess Lila didn’t have us under her thumb as much as she thought. Still…it doesn’t change or make up for how easily duped we all were by her stories…how gullible I was…”_

 

“ _It was Chloe of all people that blew the whistle on Lila,” Came Alya’s voice as the footage of the picnic came up again, the camera zooming in on a girl with a blonde ponytail sitting on the blanket with her arms crossed over her chest. Noticing the camera on her, she scowling and turned up her nose, looking away while a redheaded girl leaned against her happily and munched on a macaron. A glimmer of light caught a matching set of ladybug themed friendship bracelets on their wrists._

 

“ _She called out Lila’s lies. She had a recording of Lila threatening Marinette in the bathroom. Of course this was all during Lila’s mom showing up and exploding at her for all the interviews on my blog.”_

 

_Back on camera in her room, Alya winced, “Sorry, Mrs. Rossi. I shouldn’t have posted any of those without proof.”_

 

“ _Once Lila’s house of cards tumbled down, she sought out an akuma—as you’ve heard from several eye witnessed I interviewed and the footage graciously sent to the blog.”_

 

_Footage flashed on screen of a cell phone video showing a girl making an Instagram post. A zoom in of the shot showed Lila in the background running full sprint towards the akuma, her mother hot on her heels._

 

“ _Fortunately or unfortunately, her mom tried to stop her and got akumatized along with her,” the voiceover of Alya said sadly, “And in entered Facqde.”_

 

_The footage switched to shots of Façade menacing the student body, shooting yellow and blue beams as her two heads argued with each other._

 

“ _You know, on top of sticking up for Marinette, Chloe actually tried to fight Façade to buy Ladybug and Chat Noir some time,” Alya said as a clip showed Chloe hanging onto Façade’s neck and being whipped around._

 

_The scene changed back to Alya staring at her hands again, “She and Marinette don’t even get along and Chloe defended her. She saw through Lila’s lies when I didn’t. I…I’m so grateful she had Marinette’s back.”_

 

“ _Façade was defeated by Ladybug and Chat Noir—with help from Rena Rouge and new superhero Vespa,” footage from another students phone showed the black and yellow heroine leaping over Façade and smacking the villain in the face with her spinning top._

 

“ _But I’ll have to save the posts about Vespa for later,” Alya told her viewers, “Since this post isn’t about the superheroes; it’s about apologizing for everyone I let down.”_

 

_The next bit of footage was a cellphone video of Lila yelling at the police as they cuffed her and put her in the back of a squad car. Her mother could be seen talking to Officer Raincomprix, sadness and disappointment etched into every line of her face._

 

“ _Since the akuma hit the news, various people have come forward debunking Lila’s claims,” the camera cut to news footage and online videos of Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, and Audrey Bourgeois declaring the stories about their association with Lila to be false. Other celebrities were shown doing the same in various clips. Prince Ali even gave a statement that he was and never had been friends with someone who abetted a terroist, “You’ve probably seen a few of those statements linked in my reposted, debunked interviews of Lila by now.”_

 

“ _Lila’s pursuit of the akuma was proof she willingly worked for Hawkmoth and as such, it was deemed too dangerous for her to stay in France.”_

 

_The clip switched over to official news footage of a glaring Lila being escorted by police onto a train car with her mother and an ashen faced man—presumably her father—in tow. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood with Carapace, Rena Rouge, and Vespa standing guard as the train was boarded, on the lookout for akumas._

 

“ _Lila was returned to Italy where she is to face juvenile criminal charges for aiding a terrorist,” Alya explained as the footage rolled, “Her parents are waving her diplomatic immunity so that she may be tried to the fullest extent of the law. It is their hope that Lila can be rehabilitated with proper consequences and treatment.”_

 

_After the train pulled away, the camera cut back to Alya in her room, “I would like to extend my deepest apologies to Lila’s parents for the grief my interviews have caused them. Lila lied, but I’m the one who forewent my journalistic responsibilities and posted them without checking any sources. I gave her the attention she wanted and that’s what caused all this trouble. I gave her the audience, gave her the means to manipulate people, and put lives in jeopardy.”_

 

“ _That last part is truly awful,” Alya declared, “Even if Lila had been telling the truth—which she wasn’t—posting that she was a close friend of Ladybug’s could have put her whole family in danger if Hawkmoth had believed it.”_

 

_She laughed bitterly, “Of course now we know why he never used her as leverage against Ladybug; he knew they weren’t friends because Lila was working with him.”_

 

“ _Those interviews gave Lila the influence to hurt Marinette,” Alya said miserably, tears springing to her eyes, “It’s because of my actions that any of this happened, that my friend got bullied and nearly betrayed by everyone she trusted. That’s all on me and believe me when I say I plan to be making up for that for a long, long time.”_

 

_She let out a weak little giggle, “She’s forgiven me, you know. I can’t believe she did after all this. But she did and she still sees me as her best friend.”_

 

_A still image came on the screen, a photo of Alya and Marinette hugging with identical, beaming smiles._

 

“ _She’s probably going to be so mad I posted this; she begged me not to throw my reputation away like this for her. But it had to be done; I can’t pretend I didn’t make some huge mistakes and I can’t pretend they didn’t have major consequences for other people. I have to acknowledge my faults, if only for my peace of mind.”_

 

_The clip changed back to the picnic, Marinette jumping with a squeak as a blonde boy sat down next to her and drew her into a one armed hug, oblivious of her reddening face. A boy with headphones on leaned over the pair to snatch a cookie off Marinette’s plate while she wasn’t looking, snickering._

 

“ _Once again, I would like to apologize to all my viewers. I made a big mistake and I know I have to live with that. I understand if some of you find it difficult to trust my blog after what I’ve done, but frankly losing views is the least of my worries compared to losing a friend. I do plan to work hard to make it up to all of you, but I’ll understand if you no longer wish to follow my blog. My priorities are in order now; the people I care about are more important than the number of views I get.”_

 

“ _I’m going to try to be a better reporter and a better friend,” Alya assured as the scene showed the camera shaking slightly before being set on the blanket, clearly propped up against something. It showed Alya stepping into frame, coming around the merrymaking group of friends to wrap her arms around Marinette in a big hug._

 

“ _That’s a promise,” she said as everyone in the scene joined in a group hug—except Chloe who was dragged into it by Kim and Sabrina._

 

_The screen went black and the video stopped._

 

{page break}

 

 

As the moon rose high into the sky, Ladybug landed on the Eiffel Tower and looked around.

 

“I’m here, Chat,” she called walking around, “What’s the emergency?”

 

She rounded the corner and abruptly stopped, finding a very sheepish Chat Noir standing before her.

 

“Hey, Bug,” he greeted in nervously.

 

Ladybug rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, “There isn’t an emergency, is there?”

 

Chat winced, “Not…exactly…”

 

“Chat, I have school in the morning,” Ladybug grumbled, “Not to mention this is a complete abuse of our powers. You know our kwamis need to be well rested for real emergencies and—”

 

She trailed off, eyes falling behind Chat to a blanket spread out on the ground next to a picnic basket. Three or four candles flickered with lighted wicks around the edges of the blanket.

 

“Chat,” Ladybug scolded wearily, massaging her brow, “We’ve been over this…”

 

“I know what it looks like,” Chat cut in, hands up, “But it isn’t a date.”

 

Ladybug looked up, surprised. In truth, a second glance showed the scene was different than Chat’s previous attempts to woo her. The blanket was just a simple quilt and the candles were little more than bulky jar candles rather than the more romantic tea lights of previous attempts. There was a surprising lack of glasses or wine; just some cans of soda. There was also a noticeable lack of flower petals or roses anywhere.

 

“So then, what is this?” Ladybug questioned curiously.

 

“A thank you,” Chat stated before sighing, “And sort of…an apology.”

 

Ladybug raised a brow, “Okay…let’s break this down. Why the thank you?”

 

“For helping protect Prin—Marinette,” Chat said, “I was really worried about her when the Lilakuma targeted her.”

 

Ladybug took a step closer.

 

“I didn’t know she meant that much to you,” she said observantly.

 

Chat chuckled, “She’s one of the nicest girls I know—next to you Milady. She’s so genuine and thoughtful and she’s fun to be around.”

 

“You seem to know her pretty well,” Ladybug observed, “Do you spend a lot of time with her?”

 

Chat looked away evasively, “We’ve spent time with each other once or twice…sort of started with the whole Evillustrator incident. Since then we’ve seen each other a few times, maybe hung out a little bit. Really, you only need to be around her a few minutes to see what an awesome person she is.”

 

Chat seemed sincere, but his words baffled Ladybug. Yes he spoke the truth, he had popped in on Marinette from time to time in recent months. It was shortly after Lila’s return that his visits became more frequent, almost as if he knew she needed cheering up. They were never long visits, a few cookies and silly puns, maybe a quick round of Mecha Strike. Enough to say they were relatively friends at this point.

 

But Chat spoke as if her civilian self was his closest friend, his best friend. They didn’t spend enough time together to be _that_ close as far as she recalled. So how had he become so fond of her?

 

“When Lila was akumatized,” Chat went on obliviously, “This most recent time—not accounting for all her other akumatizations—I knew she was going after Marinette and…I just about panicked. Finding out she’d actually threatened Marinette—word travels fast, you know,” he added quickly, side eying Ladybug, “When I heard that…I realized how serious it was. I really wish she’d told me Lila was doing that.”

 

He looked down sadly, “I understand why she didn’t feel safe telling any of her other friends since they didn’t believe her before…or gave her really bad advice. But…she could have told me when I came to visit. She must have been dying to talk to someone. She must have felt so alone…”

 

Ladybug felt her heart clench seeing Chat so distraught. She knew he put a great deal of importance in trust between them as partners and was oftentimes upset about being left in the dark on things Fu requested she keep secret. But she had no idea he valued Marinette’s trust just as highly.

 

Seeing him so upset that Marinette hadn’t confided in him about the threat made her feel guilty; she hadn’t known how much his friendship with Marinette meant to him.”

 

“I don’t think it was that she didn’t trust you, Chaton,” Ladybug assured.

 

“What else could it be?” Chat asked mournfully.

 

Ladybug decided to go with the truth; her real reason for not telling Chat whenever he came by, “You have so much on your plate as it is dealing with Hawkmoth and all his akumas. I’m sure Marinette didn’t want to worry you with things people write off as ‘high school drama’.”

 

“But it isn’t!” Chat defended, “It was serious, she was being threatened.”

 

Ladybug held up her hands, “I know, and I agree with you. But some people would probably see it as insignificant or play it down as just a teenage things. From what I’ve heard from Alya, people thought Marinette was just being petty and jealous. She probably started downplaying it herself because she was so used to it being done by everyone else.

 

It was the truth too; Ladybug had spent a lot of time trying to convince herself that the threats and lies weren’t a big deal, if only to make everyone’s lack of belief in her hurt less. She’d considered several times venting to Chat, in and out of the costume, but ultimately she pushed her feelings down, not wanting to trouble Chat with her issues when they had bigger problems in Paris to deal with.

 

“I don’t know,” Chat said, still looking unsure.

 

“Look,” Ladybug said, “I know what I’m talking about because I’ve been there. You think I’ve told you about the bullies I deal with? No. And trust me; school has not been a cake walk for me over the years. But I didn’t want to trouble you with my problems because it all seems so…small in comparison to Hawkmoth.”

 

“But it’s not small,” Chat said, stepping towards Ladybug, “Not to me. I don’t want you or Marinette to ever feel like coming to me for help is a burden. Bug, Hakwmoth doesn’t mean your lives matter any less or aren’t as valid. Please, come to me when you need to talk. I promise that it will always be important to me.”

 

Ladybug smiled, “Thank you, Chaton. That means a lot to me.”

 

She stepped back, clearing her throat, “So what’s the apology part?”

 

Chat heaved a deep sigh, seemingly bracing himself for something.

 

“Okay,” he breathed out, “So I’ve given this a lot of thought. Some things have been brought to my attention and it’s sort of hard to ignore it now. I mean, in light of several things, I really should have done this a lot sooner and—”

 

He stopped, breathing deeply through his nose.

 

“I’m sorry I’ve been harassing you,” he said solemnly, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

 

It took Ladybug a minute to register what Chat said, “…What?”

 

“The flirting,” Chat clarified, “All the comments and the suggestions, all the attempts to get your attention or insisting we’re meant to be…I’m sorry for all of that.”

 

“That’s…uh,” Ladybug fumbled for a response, “What brought this on?”

 

“The Ladyblog—and a few of it’s commenters—have been talking an awful lot about what Lila was doing to this kid Adrien,” Chat explained, “Getting in his personal space, asking him to spend time with her with the implications that it would be when they were…’alone’, her touching him all the time. From what everyone is saying, he didn’t like any of it and was actually really uncomfortable, but no one noticed because they saw what they wanted to see.”

 

He chuckled, “Well, I shouldn’t say no one noticed, Marinette did. She was pretty mad about it too apparently. But the others, it was all ignored because people wanted to like Lila or bought into the idea that they’d ‘look good together’. And that’s what people do with you and me.”

 

“How do you mean?” Ladybug asked, thought she already knew exactly what he was talking about.

 

Chat threw a hand out in a half shrugged, “You know how the Ladyblog jumps on any shot of us together that reinforces the idea of us dating. And everyone is always raving about Ladynoir being ‘canon’ and all that. But you’ve said dozens of times you aren’t interested and that you like someone else and no one listens.”

 

“I didn’t listen,” Chat added regretfully, “No one should be made to feel uncomfortable. Just because I like you doesn’t mean you’re obligated to put up with my flirting or anything.”

 

“I’m sorry, LB,” he said sincerely, “I should have been more considerate. I would hate to be in your shoes…hung off of by someone you weren’t interested in…”

 

He trailed off, a knowing look in his eyes that Ladybug couldn’t quite discern the reason for.

 

“Hey,” Ladybug soothed, “It’s okay.”

 

Chat shook his head, “No it’s not, so don’t pretend it is to spare my feelings. You didn’t like me flirting with you, with me…acting entitled to you. Look how I acted during Glaciator; I nearly screwed everything up because I was upset you didn’t come to a date you already told me you weren’t coming to! It wasn’t fair to you, and it wasn’t fair to the people I put in danger while having a tantrum.”

 

“I want to be the best partner I can be, Bug,” Chat told her, “I can’t do that if I’m ignoring your feelings or pushing for a relationship with you that you don’t want.”

 

“Maybe someday you’ll change your mind about me,” Chat said, shrugging, “Maybe you won’t. Either way though, I would rather have you in my life as my partner and friend than not at all. If that means backing off and respecting your wishes, then that’s what I’ll do.”

 

Ladybug placed a hand over her chest, staring at Chat fondly, “Chat…that’s all I’ve ever wanted to hear.”

 

“Do you forgive me?” Chat asked worriedly.

 

Ladybug pulled Chat in for a hug, “Of course, I do. It means so much to me that you’re listening, that you care about how I feel.”

 

“I don’t mean to hurt your feelings when I reject you,” Ladybug said, “But just like you can’t help liking me, I can’t help who it is I like.”

 

“Speaking of which,” Chat began, shattering the tender moment with a mischievous grin, “Adrien Agreste? You have the hots for a model, LB?”

 

Ladybug shoved Chat away, though there was no real force to it. Blushing, she looked away, “I don’t ‘have the hots’ for him. I happen to be in love with him, thank you very much.”

 

“Well I mean, I can see the appeal,” Chat said, swagger away to lean against the railing, “He’s good looking, smart, charming…a snappy dresser I might add.”

 

Ladybug frowned at him, “Don’t make fun of me.”

 

Chat held up his hands, “I’m not. I’m just saying, if I had to lose you to someone, it might as well be him.”

 

He gave Ladybug a thumbs up, “He has the Chat Noir seal of approval.”

 

“Seal of approval, huh?” Ladybug snorted, crossing her arms.

 

“Yup,” Chat said, smirking, “I know he’ll treat you right. You should ask him out.”

 

“Uh-huh?” Ladybug stared skeptically at Chat.

 

Chat’s grin was like a Chesire cat’s.

 

“So care to join me for some ‘apology and thank you’ croissants?” he asked, gesturing to the blanket.

 

Rolling her eyes at her kitty’s antics, Ladybug sat down as Chat dished out the picnic.

 

For a while they sat in companionable silence eating their food.

 

“You know,” Ladybug said looking out over the Parisian skyline, “If you’re okay with Adrien, then I suppose I should give you my seal approval to pursue a certain _Princess_.”

 

Seeing Chat go scarlet and choke on his soda was so worth suggesting such a silly idea.

 

“Wha?” Chat sputtered, “I would never!”

 

“Oh come one, Chat, you don’t have to hide your feelings,” Ladybug teased, loving how fluster her partner got, “I can see how much you like her.”

 

“I don’t!” Chat denied.

 

Ladybug stared at him with a smirk, relishing how red he got.

 

Chat sighed, ears drooping, “Okay…maybe a little—but that’s strictly confidential!”

 

Ladybug felt the smirk fall off her face, a blush rising to her cheeks. Chat liked…Marinette?

 

“Anyway, you’re one to talk,” Chat shot back, looking to gain the upper hand, “I mean, you never struck as one for a celebrity crush.”

 

Ladybug huffed, “It’s not a celebrity crush. I happened to know him very well.”

 

That gave Chat pause, “You do?”

 

Ladybug nodded, “I don’t like him for being famous. I like him because he’s kind and sweet, and considerate. He’s just so…well meaning. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and he tries to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. You should see how he is with Chloe. He’s patient with her, always believing she can be better than she acts. He stands by her even when she’s acted her worse, uncaring of how it might make him look.”

 

“And he’s lonely,” Ladybug added softly, “None of his fans get that. They think he lives in this fantasy world of fame and fortune but the truth is it’s more like a gilded cage. All these rules, all these expectations. He didn’t have any friends other than Chloe before he started going to Dupont. I can’t imagine how lonely that must feel, and yet he still tries to stay so positive.”

 

“Sounds like you know him an awful lot,” Chat commented slowly.

 

Ladybug nodded, “I do. It wasn’t his fame I fell for or even his looks. I could care less that he’s good looking. In fact, when we first met, I didn’t like him. I thought he was just another pretty face like Chloe.”

 

Chat went still as Ladybug rambled on seemingly unaware of how much she was giving away. He knew Ladybug out of the suit?

 

Ladybug sighed dreamily, “It was only when he offered me his umbrella that I realized he was really a sweet and generous person. That’s when I fell for him.”

 

Ladybug didn’t notice, but next to her Chat’s brain had short circuited.

 

“Well, I better get going,” Ladybug announced, standing up, “I’ve got school in the morning and I need my sleep.”

 

“Thanks for the surprise, Minou,” she said, tapping Chat on the nose, “It’s actually the second picnic I’ve had thrown for me this week. Weird, right?”

 

With a merry wave, Ladybug swung her yo-yo and zipped away, leaving a stunned Chat behind.

 

A black and yellow figured landed next to Chat, having leaped from her hiding place higher up on the tower.

 

“See, I told you she’d appreciate the gesture,” Vespa said, arms folded over her chest as she beamed proudly at her plan working so well, “If she pursues the civilian side of you and falls for him, then you can reveal yourself and be satisfied with knowing she ultimately still ended up with Chat in the end. I’m such a genius.”

 

When Chat didn’t respond with the usual catty banter they’d built up a repertoire of, Vespa frowned.

 

“Well,” she prompted, “How about a ‘thank you, Vespa?’ Hm?”

 

“S-she’s…” Chat stammered, “She’s…”

 

Vespa’s frown grew deep, “What? What did I miss; did she say something?”

 

“Sh-she…she’s…” Chat continued to mumble and gape.

 

“Out with it!” Vespa demanded in frustration, smooshing Chat’s face with her hands, “She’s what?”

 

“M-Marinette…”

 

….

 

…………

 

“You know!” Vespa shrieked in surprise.

 

“You _knew_?!” Chat yelled back.

 

For the next fifteen minutes, those closest to the tower could hear the muffled echoes of two superheroes’ freak out.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I debated for a while how I would do this epilogue, specifically the beginning. I knew I wanted to include something with Alya involving her blog and reiterating her holding herself accountable for her faulty journalism practices as well as the importance of prioritizing her friendships over her blog.
> 
> I debated doing the chapter with focus on the aftermath of her retracting her Lila interviews, or focusing on her at the picnic making things up to Marinette. I also wasn't sure whether I wanted to write out the picnic scene or just allude to it. 
> 
> So in both cases, I compromised in a way I thought more artistically impacting. A video flickering on a computer screen, an interview from a reporter and teen with regrets and hopes to improve, a video interspersed with happiness and uplifting moments. I sort of wrote it out with it playing like a movie or episode in my head, it looks pretty cool that way so I hope it reads as cool.
> 
> The second part was something I knew I wanted from the start. Since I've already addressed in the story Marinette's flaws, I wanted to have Adrien himself address his own when it comes to his actions as Chat Noir. Given how he had it brought to his own attention that he himself was being sexually harassed by Lila, I wanted that to give him perspective in how just as he is not obligated to put up with unwanted advances, neither is Ladybug, no matter how strongly he feels about her. 
> 
> And yes, I know it probably comes off a tad devious that he does this while encouraging Ladybug to pursue her crush on his civilian self, but he is being sincere that he does not want to make Ladybug uncomfortable. He'd rather she pursue him as Adrien of her own freewill than keep trying to force her to come around to him as Chat. He realizes it needs to be her choice and encourages her to ask Adrien out instead of Adrien asking her out because that way he is still respecting Ladybug's choices and wishes. 
> 
> I had Chat slowly coming around to the idea that he may like Marinette because I wanted his interest in her after the reveal to not be based entirely on his fixation on Ladybug. The same with Ladybug being surprisingly flattered that Chat Noir has feelings for her civilian self. 
> 
> And of course Chloe had to be behind the apology dinner in order to nudge the two hapless heroes closer to each other.   
> I think that's the end of this story. Thanks for sticking with me <3


End file.
